Kanako Murata is in good spirits after attempting to work through an arm injury against Virna Jandiroba at UFC Vegas 29.
The Japanese flyweight standout suffered her first loss in over four years on Saturday at UFC APEX in Las Vegas when a cageside physician determined at the end of the second round that Murata could not continue after clearly injuring her arm. Murata’s injury appeared to occur in the first round when Jandiroba attacked with an armbar.
On Sunday, Murata shared an X-ray and while the official diagnosis is yet to be announced, it’s clear that her arm was in bad shape following her fight with Jandiroba.
“Thank you for your generous support UFC,” Murata wrote in the accompanying caption. “I will be stronger and come back.”
Murata fell to 1-1 in the UFC and saw an eight-fight win streak halted. She’d previously competed for Japan’s RIZIN promotion and Invicta FC, winning a vacant 115-pound title in the latter.
When her bout was waved off on Saturday, Murata was visibly distraught. Watch her initial reaction below:
Unquestionable toughness from @m_r_t_k_n_k, who clearly wanted to continue with an injured arm #UFCVegas29 pic.twitter.com/mSUz2vFfN2
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 19, 2021