FORMER UFC men's bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz suffered a horrific broken nose in his clash with Marlon Vera.<br /><br />The Dominator locked horns with the surging 135-pounder early on Sunday morning in the main event of UFC San Diego.<br /><br />Their eagerly-anticipated showdown well and truly lived up to its billing, with both men hilariously going back and forth with one another in the opening three rounds.<br /><br />But Vera closed the show with a picture-perfect high kick and ground and pound just before the two-minute mark of round four.<br /><br />Vera's foot landed flush on the nose of Cruz, instantly shattering it and causing a tsunami of blood to pour out.<br /><br />MMA fans were quick to comment on the gruesome injury, with one saying: "Dominick Cruz's nose is very much broken."<br /><br />Another said: "RIP to Dominick Cruz’s nose."<br /><br />And another said: "Dominick Cruz got kicked directly in the face so hard his nose essentially exploded."<br /><br />One remarked: "Seeing Dominick Cruz’s nose fold in real-time is not fun."<br /><br />Another chimed in: "Holy. Marlon Vera nasty for that."<br /><br />And another said: "Vera is an assassin!"<br /><br />Chito said of the brutal finish: “It was hard to find the low kicks.<br /><br />“In the fourth round, coach told me, throw a bomb after the punches and you will find him.”<br /><br />Victory over Cruz was the fourth in a row for the No.5-ranked Vera - who scored a viral front-kick KO of Frankie Edgar last November.
