Last night Dana White’s Contender Series had one of the roughest injuries of the year. Here Joe Pyfer failed to breakfall properly as a result of a single leg take down and posted on his arm. The result was a dislocated elbow but luckily did not break his arm.
During the match, Pyfer was originally trying to escape a Heel Hook entry from opponent Dustin Stoltzfus. After standing up against the leg entanglement, Pyfers leg was then grabbed by Stoltzfus who came up onto a single leg. From here he was wrestled to the ground which lead to his arm dislocating. This took place in the DWCS which is a promotion under Dana White’s UFC brand.
Dana White later reacted on Twitter saying he was glad it was only a dislocation and not a break and wished him a quick recovery.
The incident further proves the importance of learning to breakfall properly. It may be a natural reaction of Joe Pyfer to put his arm out which is human nature. However, the correct decision would be to take the slam and then hit the mat with your arm after your body has hit – this absorbs the impact from your body whilst keeping your arm safe.
Sadly, similar incidents often happen in other sports such as football and rugby on occasion. With this in mind learning to breakfall should be a key part when starting BJJ and MMA training. It is a simple drill which can stop broken limbs down the line and after a while becomes second nature when falling to the ground.
Warning – the video below shows graphic content.
