It is quite common for athletes in combat sports to lose composure in the heat of the moment. As a result, they may escalate and attempt to physically confront one another during promotional events, weigh ins and face offs.
This is exactly what happened with Russia’s Timur Abdurakhmanov. Abdurakhmanov went overboard in a videoed confrontation with Gere Muhamed.
Prior to this, Abdurakhmanov had jumped into the ring after Muhamed lost to then opponent Bakyt Erkebulan.
Muhamed had previously defeated Abdurakhmanov on points and the latter was angry.
After exchanging profanities, Abdurakhmanov decided to get physical. He threw a sucker punch at the other athlete as seen in the video.
Thankfully, security stepped in before Muhamed got hurt or was able to retaliate. The two were separated before any serious damage was dealt.
However, this is not the first time Abdurakhmanov had assaulted someone. In other instances, he injured Javid Rzayev who suffered a concussion after their bout.
After this incident, the promotion banned him and also revoked his boxing license. Abdurakhmanov is now under legal investigation and may face from 8 to 15 years in prison.
“At the last HardConference, something unacceptable happened: Timur “Apron” Abdurakhmanov struck Javid “Suit from Dubai” Rzaev outside the octagon.
Hardcore FC together with the Boxing Federation of Russia is dealing with the issue of disqualification of Timur Abdurakhmanov.
Our league is categorically against any manifestation of unsportsmanlike behavior. Warning that actions of this nature will definitely lead to disqualification of an athlete with subsequent disqualification of his fighter’s license and ban from performing in our promotion and in all other organizations.”
In response, Abdurakhmanov called Hardcore FC an organization of hypocrites. He said they themselves ask for incidents like these to ignite the passion from the audience.
Naturally, this attack and Abdurakhmanov’s statement put Hardcore FC in a bad light. Similar instances have happened before where athletes get into fistfights during press conferences. This organization has been deemed unprofessional by fans around the world.
For example, this video shows two of their competitors engaging in an altercation at a face-off.
What is even more alarming is the time it takes for security to stop this incident. By the time the brawl is put to an end, the fans have already gotten more than they had paid for.