"Bro got shot by a 9mm" - Fans and fighters divided over controversial doctor stoppage at UFC 301 as "nasty" in-cage injury costs Jack Shore

Jack Shore's leg injury overshadowed the final preliminary bout of the UFC 301 card. The Welsh featherweight was in enemy territory as he took on Brazilian favorite Joanderson Brito, who blasted his foe's legs with low kick after low kick. Eventually, the cumulative damage was evident for all to see.

In round two, Shore's shin sported a gruesome cut that started leaking blood. This led to a bizarre series of events, which consisted of the cage-side doctor entering the cage to examine the state of the Welshman's leg before stunning the crowd in attendance and viewers at home by deeming him unfit to continue.

The decision, which awarded Brito a TKO win due to a doctor stoppage, proved polarizing with fans online. Former UFC welterweight and ex-commentator Dan Hardy chimed in with criticism of the doctor's call, as the cut (WARNING: NSFW Content) was on the leg, not the face. Taking to X, Hardy wrote:

"That shouldn't have been stopped, and that doctor didn't need to be digging his damn fingers in the cut to make it worse. It's a cut. The bone wasn't broken. Play on."

Hardy was not alone in his sentiments. Streaking UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad also dismissed the apparent severity of the injury.

"Come on it's just a shin"

A tweet from MMA fighter Saidyokub Kakhramonov read:

"That was nasty"

Another fan joked about the graphic state of the cut and wrote:

"Bro got shot by a 9mm or somethin?"

Check out more reactions by fans below:

Fan reactions to the Jack Shore doctor stoppage

Unfortunately, Shore will have to dust himself off and hopefully secure a rematch to right the apparent wrong of the doctor's decision.

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Cage-side doctor speaks out on his Jack Shore decision

MMA reporter Aaron Bronsteter just provided fans with an update on the cage-side doctor via UFC 301 commentator, Jon Anik, who revealed that the doctor based his decision on the belief that Jack Shore had broken his leg.

Whether this will be enough for fans to adopt a more understanding stance remains to be seen. However, it marks one of the more bizarre doctor stoppages of the year.