Watch: Bellator 286 sees gruesome leg break TKO in the first fight on the card

The opening fight of the Bellator 286 preliminary card kicked off the night on a gruesome note. It featured a horrifying fracture, an untimely end to a promising matchup, and a heartbreaking first-career loss.

The bantamweight matchup between Richard Palencia and C.J. Hamilton began well with the experienced Hamilton dictating the pace and picking his shots well. However, Palencia wasn't outdone by a distance and held his own in the first round, which could have gone either way.

The favorite, Palencia, started off the second round with more fervor, hoping to stamp his authority on the match. However, it was shortlived as a leg kick from him caught Hamilton square on the shin. The subsequent pull-back from Palencia had him reeling.

Palencia then awkwardly landed on his left foot, twisting it before going to the ground in visible pain. His opponent, Hamilton, called the referee's attention to his rival.

The stop awarded Hamilton the win and halted his two-fight skid in unconventional fashion. Palencia, on the other hand, suffered his first career loss on his Bellator debut and will be very distraught at the unfortunate start to life in a new promotion.

Watch the replay of the incident as posted by Bellator on Twitter:

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Fans react to horrifying leg injury at Bellator 286

Mixed martial arts fans are no strangers to seeing brutal and bloody injuries suffered by the fighters. However, such leg breaks certainly bring out a lot of reactions from fans, and here are some of them from social media.

"Man, that is horrible"

"That's gotta hurt."

"Horrible to see , speedy recovery"

Many fans took issue with Bellator posting the video and the broadcast advertisements that accompanied the injury.

"Thanks for the video? lol"

"Why y’all gotta repost this in slow mo [facepalm emoji]"

"the situation is horrible, plus this ad placement makes it dystopian af"

Other fans highlighted the worrying increase in frequency of leg injuries in combat sports.

"The MMA Gods require a horrific leg injury every few months"

"Another broken leg, because ppl use the calf kick alot more than ever and guys are getting stronger, your going to see alot more of those injuries...."

"Every single time I watch MMA fights I cringe every time they throw those leg kicks. DAMN smh."

Some individuals were insensitive enough to joke about the incident.