Four Most Bizarre Events in MMA in 2024
If we were to describe the first four months of 2024 in terms of MMA, the word boring wouldn’t come into it. Boxing and MMA lovers have been treated to a spree of action-packed and exciting fights both inside and outside the octagon, and some incidents have crossed to the ‘bizarre’ section of the MMAfighting latest news.
Today, we’ll look at four of the most controversial and bizarre things that have happened in the world of MMA over the past four months alone.
MMA Fighter Kicks Ring Girl
Iranian MMA fighter Ali Heibati made headlines on April 19th when he kicked a ring girl named Maria just as the fight was about to begin. This was during the Hard Fighting Championship (HFC) held in Moscow.
Maria was walking around the cage holding a card to signal the beginning of the first round. But as she turned to leave the cage, Heibati kicked her from behind, prompting her to react and forcing the referee to intervene.
While Heibati received a warning for his actions, this wasn’t the last of his theatrics that night. He went on to lose his fight to Russia’s Arkadiy Osipyan in that first round with a knockout within 30 seconds, but he quickly got up as Osipyan was heading back to his corner and attacked him while his back was turned.
Finally, to make things worse, Heibati headed for the microphones, seemingly frustrated, and exchanged a few angry words with the commentator over something he said. He even aimed a kick at him in the heat of the moment.
It was, all in all, a bad night for the Iranian fighter.
Immediately after the fight, footage captured by several MMA news websites shows that a brawl ensued between Heibati and a section of the crowd.
As a result of the assault and the other multiple misconducts, Ali Heibati received a lifetime ban from the Hard Fighting Championship.
He has since apologized to Maria for his conduct on his social media platforms.
Igor Severino bites Andre Lima during fight
For 20-year-old Igor Severino, 2024 has been one hell of a rollercoaster – and we’re not mid-year yet! What started as a lifetime dream, fighting in the best promotion in the world, ended up in a stark disappointment after he was disqualified by the UFC for biting his opponent, Andre Lima.
In an incident that occurred in the second round of their flyweight bout, Severino, who was being held from behind by Lima, appeared to lean and bite Lima’s left bicep, forcing him to let out a shout in pain.
Referee Chris Tognoni immediately stopped the fight and reviewed that play. The Brazilian fighter was then disqualified from the tournament, and Lima was awarded the victory, making it the first defeat of Severino’s career.
Later on, UFC president Dana White released a statement announcing that the UFC organization has parted ways with Severino.
But despite the bizarre ending, Andre Lima stated that he felt sorry for Severino saying, “I feel so sorry, to be honest. I’m sad for him because he came from the same thing. He struggled a lot like I did. He has a family. He has a bright future.”
The UFC humorously commemorated the moment, coining it the ‘bite of the night.’
MMA fighter Kafele Mensah vomits blue liquid
Fans and commentators at Dynasty Combat Sports 91 were not quite prepared for what they saw during the amateur preliminary lightweight contest between Kafele Mensah and Josh Spatz.
The match started out normally, with Mensah appearing to be getting the better of Spatz and on his way to winning the matchup. But after separating from a clinch position, everything went haywire for Kafele Mensah.
He became disoriented and confused, unable to control himself from vomiting in the octagon. What surprised many, however, was the blue liquid that spewed out of his mouth onto the cage floor, forcing the referee to stop the fight.
Josh Spatz was awarded a TKO victory due to ‘Loss of Bodily Fluids,’ then officials entered the octagon and mopped up the vomit with towels, allowing the event to continue.
It was quite an unfortunate turn of events for Mensah, and many fans expressed their sympathy for him on social media.
Chris Curtis’ walkout song lands him in a hot mess
In the world of UFC, Chris Curtis found himself in the middle of a controversy after he chose to make his entrance to Sean Diddy Combs’s ‘Bad Boys for Life’ at the UFC Vegas 90. This was despite all the scandals and controversies that have rocked P Diddy’s name; he is in court facing multiple charges of sex trafficking, sexual abuse, and rape.
Curtis went on to lose that fight against Brendan Allen. It went on for five rounds and was ultimately lost in a close split decision when Curtis fell short on two judges’ scorecards. Curtis may also have injured his leg or suffered a hamstring in the dying seconds of the bout.
Even though Curtis fought valiantly throughout the match, the headlines on most boxing news sites the next morning were his choice of walkout song.
In his defense, Curtis explained his choice of song on X (formerly Twitter), stating that his preferred song, ‘The Rumbling’ by Stim wasn’t approved by the event’s executives. And so, in his frustration, he opted to go with a P Diddy song, which he thought would anger them even more, but to his surprise, the song was approved.
He ended by saying, ‘Diddy is terrible, but it was hilarious. I’ll do better in the future,’ which brought some calm to his fanbase.
Final thoughts
A lot is happening every day in the world of MMA fighting. If it’s not unforgettable matches in the octagon, it’s the crazy things that the fighters do outside it. So, if you’re an MMA and boxing enthusiast, you can be sure of entertainment all day, every day.
Find all the latest boxing and MMA breaking updates on Boxing news.
By Dean McHugh.
