MMA: Former UFC fighter Boston Salmon unveils horrific aftermath of eye injury after illegal knee shot

Shawn West's illegal knee shot at Boston Salmon's head. Photo / Supplied/news.com.au

WARNING - graphic:

Former UFC fighter Boston Salmon has unveiled the aftermath of his horrific injury attained during last week's bantamweight victory over Shawn West at LFA 84 in Sioux Falls.

Salmon snapped a two-fight losing streak after his opponent launched a hellacious knee to the American's head — who was still down on the canvas — during the second round.

The illegal shot opened up a cut under Salmon's left eye which saw him seeing stars as the referee pulled West away and rightfully ended the fight.

It was later revealed Salmon had suffered a broken orbital and cheekbone.

Almost two weeks after securing the win via disqualification, Salmon shared a graphic image of the healing eye injury to his Instagram. The whites of his left eye have turned a sickly red, while dark bruising remains on the swollen socket.

The 29-year-old thanked his followers for their words of support, reassuring fans he would return to the Octagon.

"Thank you to everyone who took the time to reach out to me and the ones close to me concerning my health. Just wanted to let you all know that I'm OK and taking the necessary time to heal up and focus on my health most importantly," Salmon wrote on Wednesday.

"A lot of you were scared and concerned, and so was I. I can assure you that I'm OK and will be back from this.

"Smile, be happy, tell the ones you care about you love them. Sending positive vibes to everyone who supports this journey."

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A post shared by Boston Salmon (@bostonboomboom)

Salmon's manager Brian Butler also released a statement regarding the incident, calling for West to be reprimanded.

"Aside from the DQ we feel there should be disciplinary actions enforced by the commission to set a higher precedence on these types of fouls," Butler wrote.

"There was no question about the legality of the knee and Boston was awarded the win at the end of the contest.

"As a team we are sitting down with Boston and his family to discuss what we want to do moving forward.

"For now Boston is going to undergo further examination and we will determine the next steps as we go."

After profusely apologising to Salmon for the "dumb" error, West revealed he had been receiving several death threats from MMA fans.

"I sat outside his room while he got stitches, I checked on him, I've texted him my whole way home, more texts after surgery, and even more texts yesterday," West posted to Instagram.

"I've received death threats from this as if I did this on purpose. I would never take away from someone or myself for that matter by doing something so dumb and detrimental.

"I'll continue to apologise to Boston for what I did. But I'll only look for his forgiveness as well. F**k what anyone else is saying.

"Show love to your boy, but don't be mad when mine defend me."

Salmon has won three of his 10 fights since his professional debut in 2014. He has made two appearances in the UFC, but was defeated via TKO in both encounters.