Nikolas Motta is in good spirits after suffering one of the more gruesome and unideal injuries a fighter can have in his epic battle with Nazim Sadykhov at UFC on ABC 8 in June.
Motta (15-6 MMA, 3-3 UFC) became the first fighter in UFC history to receive a Fight of the Night bonus and a Performance of the Night bonus in a loss when he suffered a second-round knockout defeat to Sadykhov (11-1-1 MMA, 4-0-1 UFC) in Baku, Azerbaijan.
It was a memorable scrap, with Motta putting Sadykhov on the cusp of a stoppage early, then Sadykhov rallying back to finish the fight in dramatic fashion, and inflicting some lasting damage in the process.
“I had two fractures on my jaw,” Motta told MMA Junkie Radio. “I came back to Vegas and I had the surgery like five days ago. My cheeks are still really swollen. … They put titanium plates because my jaw was broke and they had to put titanium plates.”
Motta gives Sadykhov full credit for his accuracy and power in finishing the fight, but he said he learned after the fact that the fractures in his jaw were also aided by another issue.
According to Motta, 32, his wisdom teeth still hadn’t been removed and created a cyst in his jaw that weakened the structure. He paid the price for not addressing that already, and now must deal with the fallout.
“The doctor said after the surgery it’s supposed to be six to eight weeks of liquid diet – it’s like eight weeks,” Motta said. “It wasn’t only because I got hit hard, but he said because I have wisdom teeth still it created a cyst, and this cyst made my jaw a little weaker. It was still a hard punch, but that cyst made the inside of my jaw weaker. That’s why I broke my jaw and I’m going to focus on the recovery.”
Motta said once his jaw heals, he will get a second surgery to “clean the cyst” and remove his three remaining wisdom teeth. It’s an unpleasant recovery, but one that is certainly taken with less agony after he received an extra $100,000 in bonus money.
Although he would’ve liked to get the win and be healthy so he could fight again soon, Motta sees all the silver linings for his overall career.
“I always imagined having a war like that, with my shorts covered in blood and fighting a good fight,” Motta said. “Before that fight in the locker room I was saying, ‘I want to become a rock star tonight.’ … ($100,000) made me really happy, and the respect I earned, sometimes it’s more important than a win.”
