“God, get me out of here. I don’t wanna be here. I can’t do this anymore. Not like this.” These were the thoughts that ran through Bruno Silva’s mind when he fought Ismail Naurdiev in October 2024. There was a time when ‘Blindado’ went on to take the likes of Alex Pereira to a decision. But now, he is on a 5-fight losing skid and is trailing with a horrendous 1-7 record in his last 8 outings.

And to add insult to injury, his UFC 315 bout against Marc-Andre Barriault ended up with him on a stretcher, moving to the hospital. Needless to say, this was a pretty serious concern for Dana White. Well, the Brazilian got elbowed in his temple, and that sent him down, head first into the canvas. And the worst thing is that it all happened within just 1.5 minutes into the fight. Moreover, it was the first time he ever got knocked out in his MMA career. 

Being hit in the temple was dangerous indeed. Many MMA reporters and fans even started to point out that the incident could have marked the first loss of life in the Octagon. Ben Davis took to X and shared the footage with the caption, “His skull was DENTED?!?” This must have reminded you of Bellator 158 when Michael ‘Venom’ Page broke Cyborg Santos’ cranium with a scary flying knee. In addition, veteran MMA journalist Luke Thomas reacted to it and wrote, “That seems concerning.”

But fortunately, the UFC head honcho got immense relief regarding the whole hubbub as reports rolled in from the hospital. Hours after the bout between Silva and Barriault, MMA Orbit took to X and shared the good news with the world. According to the post, all was good with Silva, and we can expect him to make a quick recovery.

The post showed pictures of the Brazilian being taken on a stretcher, an image that raised concerns. Nevertheless, the caption read, “All X-rays negative, all imaging normal.” The caption went on, “A positive update on Bruno Silva following that scary KO defeat to Marc-Andre Barriault earlier tonight.”

According to some reports, the medical staff claimed that Silva will be discharged from the hospital tonight. Without a doubt, all the credit should go to Dana White and his promptness with the medical emergencies. On top of that, the transparency regarding the matter helped the case even more. But do you know what Barriault had to say about it? 

Marc-Andre Barriault reacts to damaging Bruno Silva at UFC 315

‘Powerbar’ and ‘Blindado’ entered a moment of clinch in the first round and took the fight near the fence. And during that clinch, Barriault slammed his elbow to Silva’s temple, which brought him down. As already mentioned, this was the first time the Brazilian middleweight contender faced defeat by knockout in his career, with a record of 23-12. 

But when Silva went out on a stretcher, Barriault showed nothing but concern for his opponent. He said, “I’m speechless right now. I hope Bruno’s going to be fine. It was my time tonight. I’ve been unlucky in my last couple of fights, but I think I showed tonight I belong in the UFC. Everything was on the line for me. I just trusted my instincts. Here I am right now.”

Thankfully, all is well now, and Silva escaped a major incident by a hairline. But, looking at his recent defeats and the 5-fight losing streak, we can make an educated guess that it also marks the end of the 35-year-old’s mixed martial arts career in the UFC. 

What do you think of the way Barriault won the bout against Silva? Do you think hits to the temple should be banned in the realm of combat sports? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.