Kowalkiewicz Releases Statement After Viral UFC Auckland Loss

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Longtime UFC vet Karolina Kowalkiewicz found herself on the wrong side of an absolute smashing against Yan Xiaonan at UFC Auckland over the weekend. Not only did she get brutalized in the cage, she got brutalized on the scorecards (30-26 from all three judges), and then brutalized on the internet when an amazing photo of Yan’s foot fully embedded in Karolina’s face went viral.

You never quite know what will or won’t tickle the eye of the internet’s fancy, and while many people marveled and maybe even had a good laugh at the picture, it ignores the nasty reality of the sport: the damage being done by these attacks are real.

Kowalkiewicz was hurt pretty bad in that fight – she broke her orbital bone in the first round and then foolishly insisted on fighting through the rest of the bout even though she freely admitted to her corner in Polish that she couldn’t see. And now Kowalkiewicz is sharing the aftermath on social media.

”Hi guys, thank you for your support,” she said via an Instagram Story. “First time in my life after fight, I cannot say I’m OK,” Kowalkiewicz stated. “Like you see, in the beginning of first round I have broken small [orbital] bone here. I couldn’t see nothing. My vision was double and everything was like in the fog.”

“After the fight, I spent all day in hospital. Today I going to specialist and they going to make decision because I need operation. And I’m waiting for decision here or I go back to Poland and make this operation in Poland. But doctors said I have to say here because flying with this eye is very dangerous.”

This weekend in boxing we saw one of Deontay Wilder’s cornermen throw in the towel for him because he was getting mauled by Tyson Fury. Wilder took a hard shot to the ear that left him completely discombobulated and unable to throw his patented power punch. Four rounds later his trainer had enough of Fury lighting him up and finished things.

Karolina Kowalkiewicz really could have used someone like this in her corner as Yan Xiaonan unloaded on her mercilessly. Wilder wasn’t happy about the stoppage and Kowalkiewicz probably wouldn’t have been either, but sometimes you have to save a fighter from themselves.