Eagle-eyed fans spot UFC debutant busting open a horrific staph infection mid-fight [VIDEO]

Several MMA fans noticed a gruesome staph infection on Nursulton Ruziboev's leg during the telecast of UFC Vegas 76, which busted open in the middle of the fight.

MMA fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the incident, who were shocked by the visuals on the screen.

One individual jokingly asked people not to notice the gruesome infection on the fighter's leg.

"Pay no attention to the staph that just busted open on Ruziboev’s leg."

Another user seemed repulsed by the visuals on the live broadcast of the event.

"I thought I'm the only one seeing that."

One person questioned how the officials failed to notice the infection and let the fighter compete.

"For real.. how do they miss that coming in."

Ruziboev made his promotional debut on July 1 and opened the main card of UFC Vegas 76 in a middleweight fight against Brunno Ferreira. 'Black' made light work of his opponent and scored a knockout victory in the opening minutes of the fight.

Ruziboev was also picked as one of the winners of the 'Performance of the Night' bonus and took home an additional cheque of $50,000 for his efforts.

With the victory, the 39-year-old is now riding a nine-fight win streak.

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UFC Staph Infection: Which fighters have contracted it?

Staph infection is caused by staphylococcus, a bacteria commonly found in the nose or on the skin. The infection can cause boils, swollen skin, or pockets of pus around the infected area.

The bacteria can easily spread through cuts or skin-to-skin contact and is highly contagious.

Thus, in a contact sport such as MMA, it is common for the fighters to contract it. Several UFC fighters including Dustin Poirier, Kelvin Gastelum, Guram Kutateladze, and Kevin Lee have contracted staph infections in the past.

One severe case occurred in the case of former UFC champion Robert Whittaker, who contracted an infection in his stomach.

Speaking about 'The Reaper', UFC president Dana White had stated:

"He had staph infection in his stomach. From what I understand, it wasn’t treated properly and started to eat away at parts of his organs. He’s in serious condition, so it’s going to be a minute before he’s back, I think. Hopefully it turns around quick but that stuff is life threatening if not treated the right way."

Whittaker was out of action for a year due to the infection.