There was some extracurricular activity during a recent mixed martial arts (MMA) event in Dagestan, after Vladimir Mineev and Aziz Dzhumaniyazov started throwing shots after the bell.
The benches clear and chaos ensues.
But according to the president of the Dagestani regional MMA Union, Shamil Alibatyrov, what you see is not necessarily what you should believe, as the video is nothing more than media sensationalization.
From Bloody Elbow:
"What happened cannot be called a mass brawl, as is media reported. The video can be seen clearly. When there was a skirmish between the athletes, the people ran out to the ring. But our team, I personally, match referee and the most titled athletes are not allowed to develop conflict. It was just a crush between us. A little later, I, as President of the Federation, and arranged a meeting between Mineev and Dzhumaniyazov, where they shook hands. The men made it clear that what happened was just a rush of emotions. This incident was over then.”
Russian MMA Union is currently investigating (lol).
Mass brawls are not uncommon in the world of combat sports. Some place take inside the cage (Gentlemen!) while others erupt in the stands (with the usual suspects). All you can hope, as a fan, is to be close enough to point and laugh without getting slugged.
Or ejected.
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