Tempers flared, and chairs and water bottles were flung in Miami’s Mediapro Studios during Karate Combat 39.
The bout between Shazaib “King” Rindh and Tommy “Nok Su Kao” Azouz came to an unexpected conclusion.
During the event, there were the expected jeers and cheers from the crowd. After the final bell, a brawl broke out between the camps of the two competitors. At first, only insults were exchanged, but soon things escalated and a water bottle was thrown. It was followed by a chair being tossed in the air.
Tommy Azouz lost his cool, after what had been a miserable outing for him and charged towards the crowd. Azouz then flung his mouthpiece and yelled at the brawlers. After that, Azouz grabbed a chair and was about to launch it.
At that stage, the folks from event management and security took charge of the situation. Azouz was persuaded not to launch the chair into the crowd. The situation didn’t deteriorate further after that.
The Karate Combat 39’s main card saw reigning champion Luiz Rocha defeat MMA veteran Bruno Souza. Some commentators described this bout as “underwhelming”. It seems like the real fireworks were set off during the lightweight match-up between Rindh and Azouz.
The promo event held a few days prior, got a bit testy with Rindh and Azouz butting heads. So it’s no surprise that the action ended in pure chaos.
Rindh made an impressive debut at Karate Combat 38 after defeating Gabo Diaz via unanimous decision. The 25-year-old has been described by many as one of the best Pakistani prospects around.
He is a part of the Goat Shed Academy in Miami, which is run by head coach Asim Zaidi and Luara Abril Zaidi. Rindh’s opponent was the French striker Tommy Azouz, who has been on a three-bout losing streak.
According to Bloody Elbow, members of the Goat Shed Academy including a coach were involved in the kerfuffle. The brawlers were ejected from the arena and the Rindh was declared the winner after that.