RUSSIA - It was an unfortunate scene that took place, flouting all the values of mixed martial arts. It occurred on March 7th at ACA Young Eagles 12 at Yubileyniy Sport Center in Cherkessk, where Dzhaddal Alikbekov faced off against Alim Gugov. The fight was won by Alikbekov via rear-naked choke in the first round. Following the announcement of the official decision, spectators witnessed a surreal scene.
Discover our latest podcast
As we can see in the video above, the referee can be seen raising declaring Alikbekov the winner of the bout and raising his hand. A decision that a small group of outraged fans disagreed with.
Just after raising Alikbekov's hand, the referee sees a dozen men approach the cage, who then enter it in order to attack him. An extremely violent scene, which has no place in a sport like mixed martial arts.
The president of the organisation, Ruslan Kahmzaev, spoke about the incident to the news-r.ru media outlet. Of course, he strongly condemned this violence:
I was welcoming guests and didn’t watch the fight. A refereeing error might have occurred, but it should have been challenged calmly. We have specially appointed people who can review the referee’s actions. We don’t need obnoxious behavior here
