MMA athlete was disqualified after blatantly ignoring the referee during the recent Maverick 20 event last weekend. Omar Kellom hit his opponent to the back of the head and continued to do so even after the ref warned him.
Pennsylvania-based MMA promotion Maverick MMA just held their major event recently. The event was filled with prospective mixed martial artists who had a good starting out record. However, some matchups are between athletes who have zero to little experience on the field.
Surprisingly, the unprofessionalism and bad sportsmanship is shown during a lightweight title bout between Omar Kellom and Josh Ugalde. The pair clashed for a vacant Maverick lightweight belt where Kellom decided to completely ignore the referee’s warning.
The pair had a good tussle in the first round and everything was going alright. However, early in the second round, Kellom pulled an unsportsmanlike attitude. The bout went to the ground not long after the horn sounded with Ugalde getting the better hands and pinned Kellom down.
It was at this moment when Kellom decided to hit Ugalde on the back of his head. The referee had warned him about that, verbally and with gestures, and it seemed pretty clear to everyone. However, it’s as if the referee is invisible to Kellom, that he decided to continue to hit Ugalde again.
The referee had enough and waved hands, announcing that the bout was over with a disqualification for Omar Kellom. This decision sparked anger in Kellom and he almost started an altercation with Ugalde. Luckily, things calmed down and Kellom accepted the defeat.
Omar Kellom entered the cage with a total score consisting 3 wins and 6 losses. He had more experience compared to other athletes who are just starting out. Kellom’s attitude irked a lot of MMA fans, especially after he missed weight before going against Josh Ugalde.