The MMA world was left stunned by a disturbing incident involving Iranian fighter Ali Heibati at the Hardcore MMA tournament in Moscow.
Heibati faced Arkady Osipyan in what was expected to be a thrilling bout, but his actions before the fight began shocked everyone in attendance.
As a ring girl walked past signaling the start of the opening round, Heibati inexplicably stepped forward and kicked her in the derriere. The incident left the woman visibly startled, leading to a confrontation that required the referee's intervention. Despite the warning, Heibati's behavior didn't improve.
During the fight itself, which ended swiftly with Osipyan securing victory by technical knockout in the first round, Heibati's erratic conduct continued. He aimed another kick, this time at head height towards a commentator, before engaging in a heated exchange of words.
The situation escalated further after the fight, with Heibati becoming the target of an attack by members of the crowd, receiving several blows to the head. The incident shocked the MMA community, prompting widespread condemnation.
In response, Heibati issued an apology on social media to the ring girl named Maria, acknowledging his wrongdoing. "I didn't act right with her... I just wanted to go out and fight", he stated. However, his apology did little to mitigate the fallout from his actions.
As a result of the incident, Heibati has been handed a lifetime ban from the Hard Fighting Championship (HFC), signaling the severity of his actions and the MMA community's zero-tolerance approach to such behavior.
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