Doederlein gets his elbow dislocated on latest episode of UFC BJJ

Claudio Martin

The latest episode of UFC BJJ: Road to the Title delivered one of the most intense moments of the competition when Isaac Doederlein suffered a gruesome elbow dislocation during his semifinal match against teammate Carlos Henrique.

The eighth episode featured the final semifinal matches, with Team Musumeci teammates forced to battle each other for a spot in the lightweight championship. The difficult situation left coach Mikey Musumeci unable to corner either.

“This is a very hard situation for me because both athletes from my team just made it to the semis. Isaac’s my best friend. How do I not coach him in this match?”

The match started competitively, with Doederlein showing his leg attack skills early. However, Carlos Henrique‘s relentless pace began to take its toll as the match progressed.

“The problem with Carlos’s game is he doesn’t stop moving,” Musumeci observed. “Isaac starts getting more tired as the round ends. Carlos pretty much won the first round.”

In the second round, Henrique dominated, passing Doederlein’s guard multiple times before securing a tight armbar position. What happened next left everyone stunned.

“Isaac’s trying not to give up. He doesn’t want to quit. He wants to keep going. And then you see the elbow come out of place and the match is over,” Musumeci described the horrific moment.

“I held on a little longer than I should have. I actually I don’t even think I tapped and I just looked down. I just saw my arm like dangling and I couldn’t feel it and I was like freaking out,” Doederlein revealed after the injury.

“We’re in such a violent sport in jiu-jitsu. People don’t realize how violent this sport is,” Musumeci reflected.

For Carlos Henrique, the victory came with complicated feelings about injuring his teammate.

“When I get this submission, I thought he’s going to tap after this happened. Uh, I go talk to him. I apologize because I know he’s have the same dream,” Henrique said after advancing to the finals.

Despite the circumstances, the win secured Henrique’s spot in the lightweight finale at UFC BJJ 1.

Fortunately for Doederlein, medical evaluation revealed the injury was a dislocation rather than a fracture.

“Thank God. It’s just a a dislocation. No fracture, no break,” he confirmed from his hospital stretcher.

“Losing is never fun… My philosophy always stays the same, right? Like everything happens for a reason and you have two choices. You have one choice to to let it get to you and and give up or you you accept it, you learn and you get better,” he stated.

Carlos Henrique will now face Denilo Morera for the lightweight title, while the welterweight final will feature Andrew Tacket against Andy Varela, who also advanced with a submission victory in the episode’s other semifinal match.

Claudio Martin