UFC 312 may be in the past, but one moment continues to linger in fans’ minds—the injury to rising featherweight star Jack Jenkins. As the UFC’s first event on Australian soil in 2025, the card delivered a night of thrilling highs and crushing lows. Champions like Dricus Du Plessis and Zhang Weili successfully defended their titles, while Sean Strickland and Tatiana Suarez saw their championship hopes shattered. Among those who had a tough night was Australia’s own Jack Jenkins (13-4-0), who stepped into the octagon on the preliminary card. Despite being the underdog, he delivered a strong performance against fan favorite Gabriel Santos, keeping the fight highly competitive with his striking.

However, in the third round, Santos secured a rear-naked choke, forcing the Australian to submit. Unfortunately, Jack Jenkins’ ordeal didn’t end there. Following the fight, the 31-year-old was taken to the hospital. Although doctors initially discharged him a few hours later, they overlooked a critical detail in his initial scan, leading to his readmission, where he remains in the ICU. According to Australian MMA on Instagram, Jenkins’ injury did not result from the final submission but occurred “at the end of the first round.” Following that, ‘Phar’ reportedly experienced numbness and “loss of strength in his left arm.”

Providing an update on Jack Jenkins’ condition, renowned MMA Fighting journalist Damon Martin shared on X: “Jack Jenkins has been discharged from the hospital and he’s doing OK, per sources, after a scary situation where he suffered a fracture to his thyroid cartilage that caused air to leak into his chest and neck. Thankfully, he’s doing better! Australian MMA first posted the information about his hospitalization on IG.”

 The Australian and his representatives will provide further updates on his condition. Currently, he is ranked as the 51st best active MMA featherweight fighter. His journey in the sport began on the Australian regional circuit, where he competed in promotions such as HEX Fighting Series and Eternal MMA before earning a UFC contract through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022. Since joining the UFC, he has amassed a 4-2 record, though he has gone 1-2 in his last three fights. Meanwhile, UFC 312 saw other fighters sustain injuries, including middleweight star Sean Strickland. Though he wasn’t hospitalized, his nose injury appeared to be one of the night’s most severe injuries. Let’s take a closer look.

After Jack Jenkins was hospitalized, Sean Strickland opened up about his gruesome nose injury

“He [Strickland] was ugly before. When I hit him in the nose, I went, ‘Wow,’ I couldn’t believe he got uglier,” Dricus Du Plessis recalled, describing what he told Sean Strickland inside the Octagon during their UFC 312 showdown. This wasn’t the first time Du Plessis left Strickland battered. The two had previously fought at UFC 297, where their bout ended in a controversial split decision that Strickland labeled a “robbery.” However, at UFC 312, there were no such complaints. Strickland accepted the outcome without protest, acknowledging Du Plessis’ dominance.

Following the fight, Sean Strickland took to Instagram to commend his opponent’s performance, stating, “Dricus, f*cking hat’s off.” He also revealed the extent of his injuries, saying, “Hell of a fight. Broke my nose in like six places. Silver lining, my nose is so broken it’s easy to reset. That was a new experience.”

Despite the loss, Strickland maintained his resilience, adding, “I’m good. Losing sucks, but we all lose in life. I talk to so many people who lose their job, their girlfriend breaks up with them, and they just find themselves in this hole. I love the misery. I love the suffering because when you’re miserable, when you’re in pain and suffering… there will be a new day and a better day. Life’s good.”

Now, with Sean Strickland and Jack Jenkins sidelined by injuries, fans are eager to see when these UFC stars will make their long-awaited return to the Octagon. How did you feel about UFC 312? Did the fight card live up to expectations, or do you think it could have been improved? Share your thoughts below!