In what can only be described as one of the most unusual victory celebrations in combat sports history, MMA fighter Anton “The Pleasure Man” Turkalj made headlines not just for his lightning-fast knockout but for what happened immediately afterward.
At Brave CF 50 in Bahrain on April 1, 2021, Turkalj needed just 13 seconds to dispatch opponent Konstantin Soldatov with a devastating spinning backfist. The strike earned Turkalj the distinction of scoring the fastest knockout in Brave CF history.
But what happened next left commentators and fans equally stunned.
The moment the referee waved off the bout, Turkalj didn’t stick around for celebrations. Instead, the Swedish fighter sprinted out of the cage and disappeared backstage, leaving everyone bewildered.
“The Pleasure Man makes a run for it! Never before seen!” exclaimed the commentator as Turkalj bolted from the arena.
When Turkalj eventually returned for his official victory announcement, the pressing question on everyone’s mind was finally addressed.
“Did you get a phone call or something because you darted back into the fort?” the interviewer asked.
Turkalj’s response was refreshingly candid: “No, I had to f*** with Creek. That’s why,” using a colorful euphemism to explain his urgent bathroom situation.
The 13-second knockout was already the second quickest finish of Turkalj’s professional MMA career at that point, making his hasty exit all the more memorable. The spinning backfist that ended the contest was perfectly timed, sending Soldatov crashing to the canvas and giving Turkalj just enough time to address his pressing personal matter.
The moment quickly went viral on social media, with fans appreciating both Turkalj’s fighting skills and his humanizing post-victory dash.
Combat sports history is filled with memorable celebrations—backflips, dancing, and emotional speeches—but Turkalj’s urgent exit stands alone as perhaps the most relatable victory reaction for everyday people.
While most fighters worry about their performance in the cage, Turkalj proved that sometimes the biggest challenge comes after the victory, when nature calls at the most inconvenient moment. In combat sports, as in life, timing is everything—whether it’s landing the perfect knockout blow or making a perfectly timed exit.
