Nightmare kneebar: Bellator alum refuses to tap – and pays for it

Squeamish? Close your eyes.

Footage has surfaced of an absolutely gruesome kneebar from last Saturday's Hex Fight Series 37 down under in Melbourne, Australia. The submission occurred in the promotion's welterweight title bout between Hoshi Freidrich (9-8) and Bellator alum JJ Ambrose (36-11-1). It was not for the feint of heart.

Late in the first round, Freidrich grabbed hold of Ambrose's leg on the ground. The angle allowed for an extreme amount of torque as he bent Amrbose's leg in a gnarly direction. The tension was visible until – snap. Ambrose's leg gave way. Yikes.

It's unclear what exact damage the maneuver caused to Ambrose's leg, but it didn't look good. He's yet to comment on the loss on social media or provide updates on his condition.

There's always a thin line between life and death in the leg lock submission game. Sometimes fighters are too tough for their own good. This might serve as a prime example of why airing on the side of caution and tapping might be a good idea.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie's blog space. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, that's on you.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: MMA fighter lets leg explode after refusing to tap from kneebar