Sasha Palatnikov unleashed a verbal tirade against audience members after they booed his victory by disqualification over Phil Hawes.
The match, which ended prematurely in the first round due to repeated eye pokes from Hawes, quickly descended into controversy when fans expressed their disappointment with the outcome. Palatnikov, visibly frustrated and sporting visible marks on his face, turned his attention to the hostile crowd.
“Yeah, boo me, motherf**ker,”
Palatnikov shouted at the audience.
“You ever been poking the eye, you p***y ass b***h? Yeah, you f***ing p***ies.”
His outburst continued as he challenged audience members directly:
“I’ll f***ing knock all you f*****s out. Yo, I came here to put on a show. This f***ing guy poked me in my eye.”
The incident occurred during the main card of DBX2, an event partially owned by UFC star Mike Perry and UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones. The promotion, which features modified rules, had attracted several former UFC competitors to its lineup.
Despite the controversial ending, Palatnikov acknowledged his opponent’s efforts during his heated address:
“He got one good shot. I’ll give him credit. I’m a white boy. I mark up easy, but I was ready to go to war.”
The Hong Kong-born fighter then issued a challenge for a rematch, saying,
“Let’s run it back. Next card. I’ll fight this f***ing guy again.”
before directing more expletives toward the booing crowd.
Prior to the event, Palatnikov had spoken about Hawes on the Bowks Talking Bouts podcast, noting their previous connections.
“I’ve actually crossed paths with him before. He’s come to Vegas… At that time, he’s a 85er. At that time, I was a 170,”
Palatnikov had explained, adding that they once shared the same management.
In the main event of the evening, former UFC heavyweight Jairzinho Rozenstruik made a successful debut in the promotion, securing a second-round TKO victory over Victor Cardoso. After his win, Rozenstruik had a tense face-off with Rob Perez, potentially setting up a future heavyweight title bout.
The Palatnikov-Hawes controversy was just one moment in an action-packed card that also saw victories for Saidyokub Kakhramonov over Alex Caceres, Rob Perez defeating Alex Nicholson, and Jessica-Rose Clark winning against Marilia Morais.
Sasha Palatnikov bs Phil Hawes was a banger until the eye pokes that caused disqualification. You agree with the call? 👀 #dbx2 pic.twitter.com/iwssAFMi9f
— Dirty Boxing Championship (@DirtyBoxing_) June 15, 2025
