5 times MMA fighters plunged into violence even after the fight was over
MMA, also known as the fight game, is as real as it gets. In a sport where the objective is to hurt your opponent until they can't take it anymore, there is bound to be some animosity between the guys slogging it out inside the cage.
Having said that, we are also talking about professional fighters of the highest caliber who leave it all inside the cage but respect their colleagues outside of it. But sometimes, fighters don't stop after the bell. Bad blood in MMA is for real and it often ends up in violent conduct by fighters even after the official bout is over.
While it is understandable that adrenaline and emotions are at an all-time high during a fight, such violent conduct by fighters following fights paints a negative image of the sport. At the end of the day, MMA is all about respect, but if the fighters who represent the sport engage in violent conduct outside the cage, they send out the wrong message.
At the recently concluded BKFC 18, Hector Lombard landed post-fight punches on a potential future opponent following his title fight against Joe Riggs. After Lombard won the fight, Lorenzo Hunt stepped into the ring to confront the new champion. When he did, Lombard immediately threw a two-punch combination at Hunt. The fighters had to be separated by security in the end.
In this article, we look at some instances when MMA fighters plunged into violence even after the fight was over.
#5. When Conor McGregor went after referee Marc Goddard at a Bellator MMA event
Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor is no stranger to controversy. In 2017, McGregor was present cageside to watch his teammate Charlie Ward take on James Redmond at Bellator 187. With seconds left in the first round, Ward viciously TKO'ed his opponent to grab the win.
Following the fight, however, all hell broke loose. McGregor jumped inside the cage to celebrate with Ward and referee Marc Goddard tried to separate the pair. This drew the ire of the Irishman. An irate McGregor took matters into his own hands, trying to have a go at the referee.
McGregor was then led out of the cage but he created a ruckus once more by slapping a commissioner who tried to stop him from getting back into the cage. Following the incident, the UFC apparently shelved plans for McGregor's return to MMA at UFC 219. He returned later in 2018, at UFC 229 and challenged Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title.