UFC 276 was a quick night of work for Jessica-Rose Clark, but the 42-second submission loss took its toll.
Clark (10-8 MMA, 1-4 UFC) revealed Sunday surgery is likely to repair a left arm injury suffered in a visually gruesome submission loss to Julija Stoliarenko(10-6-2 MMA, 1-4 UFC) in the preliminary card opener Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The finish came nearly immediately after the fight hit the canvas. Stoliarenko snatched an arm and torqued. While Stoliarenko appeared to let go upon the referees command, it was a second or two after the tap itself. By the time Chris Tognoni intervened and Stoliarenko let go, the damage was already done, indicated Clark.
With the loss behind her, Clark vowed to improve and come back better.
“Well, that sucked,” Clark said, as she sported an arm wrap and sling in an Instagram video. “I just got back from the hospital. I am probably going to need surgery on my elbow. She did a really good job of continuing to armbar me after I tapped, but that’s fine. It is what it is. I felt great. I cried the entire time I was at the hospital, but I’m feeling all right. I’m understandably heartbroken, but I did everything right this camp. I’m going to have this surgery and heal up and then come back and be better – and that’s all I can do.”
Check out Clark’s full statement in the video below.
The loss is the second in a row by armbar for Clark. Meanwhile, Stoliarenko picked up her first UFC win in her fifth attempt.
“If I get a submission, I’m going to snap it until people stop it,” Stoliarenko said in a post-fight news conference. “Of course I don’t want to injure my opponents, but it’s up to them when to tap. If she’s not tapping, I’m going to do my work.”
