Bare-knuckle boxer immediately retires after suffering horrific injury in Conor McGregor's promotion

Bare-knuckle boxer Connor Tierney has officially announced his retirement after suffering a brutal injury in his last fight.

On Saturday night, Bare-knuckle boxing pioneer Tierney headlined a fight card in his hometown of Birmingham at the Utilita Arena.

The 31-year-old faced rival Rico Franco for the European welterweight title of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, the boxing promotion co-owned by former UFC champion Conor McGregor.

In their last fight back in 2019, Franco knocked Tierney out in the first round and seven years later, it was almost an identical result.

'Bon Bon' sent Tierney to the canvas five times before eventually picking up the finish just one minute and 17 seconds into the second round, claiming welterweight gold.

Following the fight, it was revealed that the first knockdown appeared to have been caused by an accidental clash of heads rather than a punch, completely altering the outcome of the fight.

Tierney was seen spitting blood after the collision but refused to give up as he marched forward, albeit only to be finished by his rival.

Now, the Brummie has taken to social media to confirm that the brutal head clash left his jaw broken in two places, leading to him deciding to call time on his fighting career.

"Farewell, Bareknuckle," the 31-year-old wrote on social media, alongside graphic videos of his injured jaw.

"As I write this, I’m stuck in the QE hospital with a broken jaw in 2 places, and with time to reflect in a short amount of time, I just want to say I’m sorry to everyone who supported me.

"I was flat the whole night, and I just couldn’t get locked in.

"I thought I could, but I think the occasion got to me. My goal in Bareknuckle was to bring the city together and become a star in combat sports.

"I achieved that, and despite the loss, I’ve had so many great memories in this sport, I’ve met so many great people, too.

"On reviewing the footage, I got caught with a headbutt and done my jaw, rolled my ankle and just could not work with it, but it is what it is, that’s life.

"Sometimes you take risks, and god has other plans."

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE BELOW

In a later post, Tierney revealed that he had his jaw wired shut in a surgery that was 'absolute agony' and was set to undergo further surgeries to treat the brutal injury.

"Been very emotional today cried like f*** because although the head butt thing. I know I’m better than that performance and it just went wrong for me again," Tierney wrote.

"Maybe it was a neurological issue from the pressure and a repeat that just didn’t help, all that I know is it’s done now and he’s the better man on the night. Hopefully this recovery is speedy and I can do back to normality sharpish god bless."

Darren Till comes back after brutal knockdown to win bare knuckle debut

Earlier in the evening, former UFC fighter Darren Till made his bare-knuckle boxing debut as he brutally knocked out reality TV star Aaron Chalmers after being dropped earlier in the bout.

“I was f***ing made for this s***,” an excited Till said post-fight.

“I was made for it. I’m just a f***ing Scouse hillbilly, aren’t I? And everyone in here is just a f***ing maniac, so I’m built for it.”

Till's win immediately sets him up as one of the biggest names in bare-knuckle boxing, setting him up for big matchups in the remaining two bouts of his three-fight deal.