Macy Chiasson picked up arguably the biggest win of her career over a former title challenger in Mayra Bueno Silva at UFC 303 but it probably wasn’t the way she wanted it to happen.

After scoring a takedown at the start of the second round, Chiasson unloaded a massive elbow that sliced open Silva with referee Chris Tognoni pausing the action as soon as the fighters worked back to the feet again. The ringside physician remarked that the cut was incredibly deep and it Tognoni decided he could not allow the fight to continue.

The end came at 1:58 in the second round.

“I was hoping we would be able to continue,” Chiasson said following the win. “I just feel like I was so prepared for this fight, in every single aspect. We’ve trained endlessly for this fight. I just kept my head down and stayed consistent. That’s the key to this. This is my life. I dedicate my entire life to this.”

It was actually a ferocious start for Silva as she came out guns blazing, throwing huge heavy punches looking to take Chiasson’s head off. With every combination, Silva was connecting with some hard shots including a few to the body when the bantamweights got locked in the clinch.

While she was eating a lot of punishment early, Chiasson was happy to take a punch to give a punch and she showcased great durability while also firing back at the Brazilian. Despite Silva’s grappling prowess, Chiasson actually ended up going for a takedown to open the second round.

Almost immediately after hitting the canvas, Chiasson unleashed the elbow strike that opened a massive gash over Silva’s right eye as blood began pouring down to the octagon floor. It wasn’t until Silva got back to her feet that the full extent of the cut was seen for the first time and it looked bad.

That said, Silva protested the stoppage and asked to continue but the doctor and referee ultimately decided that the fight was over.

After missing all of 2023, Chiasson has now returned with two wins so far in 2024 and she’ll likely find herself as one of the top contenders in the bantamweight division after beating Silva on Saturday, no matter how it happened.