What’s the news?
A recent Mixed Martial Arts event at the Black-E Centre in Liverpool, UK became the centre of a brutal mass brawl. According to a report by MailOnline, around twenty people were involved in the clash which left two men hospitalised.
In case you didn’t know...
The brawl took place during the main event of event company Unleashed Gorilla‘s K1 and boxing event held at the Black-E centre in the Chinatown of Liverpool on Saturday (4th March 2017).
The man who leapt into the ring and attacked one of the competitors is said to be part of the other fighter’s team, perhaps one of his trainers.
The heart of the matter
This entire episode was triggered after a man stormed inside the ring and attacked one of the competitors just as the referee was about to stop the fight.
The brawl soon spilled outside the ring and the enraged fans started using metal stands, chairs and bottles as weapons. Some fans sitting at the balcony of the venue captured the entire incident in a video.
It did not take long before a mass brawl erupted in the arena. The video shows how the spectators were hurling bottles and started swinging the metal stands at each other. Some of them were trying to shield helpless fans out of harm’s way.
In one inhumane scene, a man can be seen lying flat out on the floor but that did not dissuade a man from throwing a chair at him, while another man landed a violent soccer kick to his head.
Merseyside Police was called to the scene and is investigating the disorder. A spokesman told the Echo:
“At around 9.05 PM, calls were received of spectators fighting during an organized Mixed Martial Arts and Boxing event at the Black-E venue on Great George Street.
Various reports indicated that at least 20 people were involved and that bottles had been thrown. The incident began inside the venue but is believed to have spilled outside onto the street.
Police and Ambulance attended and two men in their 30s were taken to the hospital with non life-threatening head and facial injuries.”
Unleashed Gorilla has released the following statement about the incident via their Facebook page:
What’s next?
It is not yet clear who the first attacker was. CCTV, witness and forensic enquiries are being carried out by the police to establish the circumstances of the incident. The two men who were hospitalised are not assisting the police with their investigation, as per reports.
Sportskeeda’s take
We have witnessed mass brawls happen at other sporting events, not so much in MMA. MMA is rapidly becoming a mainstream sport around the world, and along with it, the fans are becoming more involved and attached to their favourite fighters.
This incident shows how quickly spectators can lose their temper when the decision is not to their liking. It also serves as an example, that there is a need for better security arrangements at these events for the safety of fans and fighters.
Mixed Martial Arts teaches us self-discipline and the value of respect, behaviour such as this has no place in the MMA world.
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