Sherdog’s Top 10: Worst Cuts

6. Denis Stojnic vs. Stefan Struve
UFC 99 “The Comeback”
June 13, 2009 | Cologne, Germany
UFC 99, the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first visit to Germany and its debut on the European mainland, was a fiasco almost from the beginning, as the sport’s violence came under fire from the German media. One of the country’s largest newspapers, “Bild,” ran a story with the headline, “Calls to ban the ‘insanity’ of brutal cage fighting in Germany,” and to combat these views, the venue imposed restrictions on minors attending the event.

The ridiculous, gaping cut that Stojnic opened on the forehead (above video timestamp: 0:38) of Struve in the event’s second bout could not have come at a worse time for the UFC’s public image in Germany. Struve’s face rapidly became a literal mask of blood, and though he went on to win the fight, the red-soaked canvas and grisly imagery directly led to the end of the UFC’s TV deal with its German distributor.

Number 5 » Head Kicks and Axe Wounds