Couture, Alessio break bones in 'Night of Combat' fights

Battling through injuries on Saturday night, Kim Couture earned a whole new respect from the mixed martial arts community for her performance while losing a decision against fellow newcomer Kim Rose at "A Night of Combat" in Las Vegas.

Couture endured a broken jaw in the fight and MMAWeekly.com has confirmed that she actually broke the jaw in two places, at her chin and close to her right ear. She will have the jaw wired shut on Monday and it will likely be in place for approximately five weeks.

Beyond the jaw being wired shut, she will also have to wait additional time before the jaw is healed enough to endure any kind of contact or sparring. According to Sean O'Heir, public relations director for Xtreme Couture, she most likely won't be back into full sparring until October.

During her time off, Couture will be able to keep up with cardio conditioning, weight training, and other types of physical activity that will keep the jaw from being damaged in any way.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting welterweight John Alessio also suffered an injury during his main event fight with Pete Spratt on the same show. He broke his forearm blocking a kick from his opponent during the fight and actually used the same arm to end the fight, locking it underneath Spratt's chin applying a rear naked choke.

Alessio will have the arm in a cast and according to representatives from Xtreme Couture the injury is similar to the one suffered by UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture in his fight with Gabriel Gonzaga in August 2007.

Both are in good spirits following their fights and are expected to make a full recovery.