FORMER UFC men's bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz suffered a horrific broken nose in his clash with Marlon Vera.

The Dominator locked horns with the surging 135-pounder early on Sunday morning in the main event of UFC San Diego.

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.

But Vera closed the show with a picture-perfect high kick and ground and pound just before the two-minute mark of round four.

Vera's foot landed flush on the nose of Cruz, instantly shattering it and causing a tsunami of blood to pour out.

MMA fans were quick to comment on the gruesome injury, with one saying: "Dominick Cruz's nose is very much broken."

Another said: "RIP to Dominick Cruz’s nose."

And another said: "Dominick Cruz got kicked directly in the face so hard his nose essentially exploded."

One remarked: "Seeing Dominick Cruz’s nose fold in real-time is not fun."

Another chimed in: "Holy. Marlon Vera nasty for that."

And another said: "Vera is an assassin!"

Chito said of the brutal finish: “It was hard to find the low kicks.

“In the fourth round, coach told me, throw a bomb after the punches and you will find him.”

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.