‘I Heard Her Screaming, And I Didn’t Really Know What Was Happening’

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – Victoria Dudakova hopes her UFC Vegas 77 opponent has a speedy recovery.

Last night (Sat., Jul 15, 2023) at UFC Vegas 77 from inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Dudakova picked up a TKO win in her UFC debut, but it came in a gruesome way. Thirty-four seconds into the first round, Istela Nunes dislocated her elbow when she went to post up after Dudakova shot for a takedown (watch highlights).

During her post-fight interview with the media, Dudakova reacted to the nasty injury as best as she could.

“To tell the truth, I heard her screaming, and I didn’t really know what was happening,” Dudkova said through a translator. “I kept on attacking because, before the fight, the referee comes up to us, and he explains the rules to us- specifically, he told me that until he stops the fight and until he pulls you off, you do not stop, so I did not really know what to do. I saw that she was in agony [and I was thinking], do I punch or do I not then the referee finally came in and stopped the fight.

Obviously, I want nothing but the speediest recovery from my opponent. I’m sorry that it happened, but it’s not necessarily my fault. Yes, I got the victory, but this is not at all the way I wanted to get the victory. I wanted to have a fight. I prepared to finish her in the first round, but this is not the way that I wanted it to go.”

Thankfully, Nunes is okay and had her elbow put back into place. She even posted something to her Instagram story.

As for Dudakova, she hopes to return to action when the UFC goes to Abu Dhabi in October because “she will have Russian fans cheering for her.”

The 24-year-old Russian prospect is now 7-0 with six finishes.

---

For complete UFC Vegas 77 results, highlights, and overall coverage click HERE.