Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship hosted its first event in Scotland on Saturday night — and within half an hour of the main event ending, the fights spilled out of the arena and onto the streets of Glasgow.
A huge brawl erupted outside the Hydro at around 11:10 p.m. on Saturday, with dozens of men trading blows in the darkness as fans poured out of the venue. More than ten police cars and vans swarmed the street, officers chased groups through the area, and police formed a barrier outside the Hilton Garden hotel to keep people from getting back into the zone. One onlooker said: "It was mayhem. There were groups of all going for each other. It was pretty brutal to see the violence so close up. There were cops everywhere."
The night inside the arena had been electric. The headline fight saw ex-Rangers Riot Crew football hooligan Sean Weir brutally defeat Leigh Cohoon in the first round to claim the British light heavyweight title, in front of a packed house that included Conor McGregor — BKFC co-owner — plus world record holder athlete Josh Kerr, ex-boxing world champ Josh Taylor and two-time World's Strongest Man Tom Stoltman. McGregor posed with Weir afterward as he lifted the belt draped in a Scottish flag, calling him a "seven figure bare knuckle fighter" and pitching a massive stadium show, even floating a Celtic vs. Rangers clash inside the ring.
But the celebration curdled fast. Police Scotland said two men, aged 32 and 27, were arrested and charged with offences including police assault, obstructing police and threatening and abusive behaviour. Three more men were arrested and issued with recorded police warnings for threatening and abusive behaviour and breach of the peace. Three officers were assaulted during the disorder, with two of them requiring medical treatment. Chief Inspector Paul Daley said: "Violence against officers is disgraceful and will not be tolerated. Being assaulted is not part of the job and it's extremely fortunate they were not seriously injured. Officers are carrying out extensive enquiries in relation to the disturbance which occurred and anyone found responsible will be brought to justice."
Weir, nicknamed The Butcher after the Gangs of New York movie character, dedicated his win to young Rangers fan Robbie Frew, 10, who lost his brave battle against cancer last month. Irishman Conor Cooke had withdrawn from the blockbuster clash at the eleventh hour, with veteran Cohoon, 42, stepping up at the last minute — and Weir finished him off in the first round.
The DAOS take: this is the public-safety lesson every fight fan needs to hear, and it has nothing to do with the sport itself. A great night at the fights ends, thousands of people pour into the streets at once, adrenaline is still running high, and one spark turns a crowd into a brawl. If you are leaving a big event and the crowd around you starts to turn, do not stand and watch, do not film it, and do not get pulled in — move away from the noise, get to open ground, and head for your exit or your transport. The fighters get paid to settle it in the ring. On the street, the only win is getting home safe. The officers who ran toward that crowd did their job; the smartest thing anyone else in that crowd could do was get clear and let them.
Sources: The Scottish Sun
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