Spanish bull fight takes brutal turn as raging animal impales Matador in front of horrified crowd
Warning: This article contains content which some readers may find distressing.
Paco Ureña is said to be recovering well after he was gored by a bull on Sunday (31 May) during a bullfighting event.
His third fight of the afternoon at the Las Ventas bullring in Madrid, Spain, took a brutal turn as he was caught squarely by the animal.
Referred to as a ‘blood sport’, it is illegal in most countries now but remains legal in a lot of Spain, Portugal, France and the likes of the Philippines. In Columbia, bullfighting is supposed to be phasing out with a full ban set for 2027.
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The Spanish Fighting Bull is bred specifically for its aggression and physique as well as being raised with little human contact. While it is defined as a cultural event in Spain, bullfighting is controversial and can lead to these dangerous incidents.
Ureña was guiding the bull in tight circles and skilfully darting out of harm’s way when it repeatedly charged at him.
However, the bull’s horns hooked under the fighter’s right arm, hurling him into the air.
He hung from its horn in what seemed to be immense pain and was carried in the air for a number of seconds before he crashed back down onto the sandy floor of the arena in Madrid.
According to local media, Ureña suffered a deep goring with a serious wound to his leg.
However, it’s reported that despite the clear goring, he continued with the fight and remained in the ring.
He is then said to have killed the Adolfo Martín bull before walking back over to the bullring’ infirmary to be treated and reportedly received urgent care.
El Mundo reports that the medical report reflected this serious goring with ‘an entry hole in the upper third of the anterior aspect of the left thigh and an upward and outward trajectory of 20 centimetres in length that surrounds the sartorius muscle and reaches the anterior superior iliac spine, in addition to another backward trajectory of 10 centimetres that bruises the femoral artery and reaches the anterior aspect of the femur’.
His manager, Juan Diego, told the outlet that while he experienced ‘the expected fatigue’ due to surgery and was managing ‘severe pain’ with painkillers, his ‘spirits are good’.
“He is eager to recover as soon as possible," Diego added.
Ureña’s mind is apparently set on recovering and returning to the ring.
Jess Battison