UFC prelim fighter hospitalized after skull-denting elbow

UFC 315 kicks off with a devastating knockout.

Following back-to-back crowd pleasing fights on the early prelims, French-Canadian fighter Marc-Andre Barriault delivered a particularly nasty finish.

'Powerbar' took on Bruno Silva, a savage Brazilian finisher looking to rebound from a four-fight losing streak. The result couldn't have been more bittersweet...

UFC 315: Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena free live stream results & highlights

Marc-Andre Barriault pummels Bruno Silva at UFC 31 — Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Bruno Silva leaves on stretcher after suffering skull-denting elbow knockout at UFC 315

Following some tit-for-tat action in the opening round, Barriault backed Silva to the fence. He unleashed a barrage of short elbows with concussive effect.

Silva didn't take them well, and in an almost delayed fashion he crumpled to the mat, eating follow-up shots on the way before the fight was called off.

THOSE ELBOWS 🤯 #UFC315

Hometown hero @PowerBarriault with the round 1 KO 💥

Watch our prelims LIVE NOW on @UFCFightPass 📺 pic.twitter.com/2jHTqxhnJH
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) May 10, 2025

Silva lay unconscious face-first for minutes while the roar of the crowd slowed to a low rumble. Eventually he regained consciousness and rolled to his back before being stretchered out of the Octagon.

A slow motion replay revealed that Barriault's finishing blow had left a dent in Silva's head.

Wow slow motion reveals that Bruno Silva got his skull cracked on that elbow by Marc Andre Barriault

pic.twitter.com/7SpZhXHIyv
— Erich Richter (@erichterrr) May 11, 2025

UFC rolled on the next fight, a light heavyweight contest between Navajo Stirling and Ivan Erslan. During which, they provided a medical update for Silva.

'Blindado,' while alert and mobile, complained about pain in his neck, and was taken to the hospital for various scans.

UFC broadcast gives medical update:

Bruno Silva is alert and had movement in his extremities, but is complaining about neck pain. He'll be given a scan of his face, neck and other areas.
— Luke Thomas🏋️‍♀️ (@lthomasnews) May 11, 2025

This is still a developing story, MMA Knockout will be here to provide updates on Silva's condition throughout the night.

Update:

UFC broadcast confirms scans have come back negative. Silva is expected to be discharged tonight granted everything continues coming up clear.

GREAT update on Bruno Silva from the UFC broadcast: all scans negative. They expect him to be discharged from the hospital tonight.

Credit where it's due: UFC was on top of the medical updates without hesitation. They showed great commitment to transparency in this matter.
— Luke Thomas🏋️‍♀️ (@lthomasnews) May 11, 2025

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