Watch: Russian bare-knuckle fighter covered in blood just 5 seconds into the bout

Bare-knuckle boxing has recently started to take strides again, thanks to the country of Russia which revived the long-gone sport last year. However, during a recently held Top Dog Fighting Championship event, we saw why the sport was banned for years.

Alexey Selivanov took on Abubasir Shahverdiev in TDFC 12 this past week. Unfortunately, the fight turned out to be one of the most sickening fights to watch in recent years.

Just five seconds into the fight, Selivanov was caught with a nasty left-hook which opened a massive cut on his head which left him covered in blood in the first round itself. He was also dropped by 'Bars' later in the first round.

However, Alexey Selivanov fought through adversity like a soldier and somehow managed to reach the third and final round of the fight. Nevertheless, by then Selivanov had endured way too much damage and the doctors eventually called the fight off, awarding the victory to 'Bars'.

Watch the full Alexey Selivanov vs. Abubasir Shahverdiev fight below:

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Bare-knuckle fighting can prove to be fatal

Although bare-knuckle fighting has started to gain popularity again, one should not forget the risks and repercussions attached to it. Bare-knuckle fighting was banned decades ago because of the fatal element of the sport.

In fact, last year, one such incident occurred once again and reminded us why this sport is a lot more dangerous than MMA or boxing.

BKFC fighter Justin Thornton passed away on October 4th, 2021 due to injuries sustained during his bare-knuckle bout against Dillion Clecker on August 20th, 2021.

Thornton was knocked out in the first round of the fight, which was also his debut fight under the BKFC promotion. He landed face first on to the canvas and was hospitalized after suffering an injury to his spinal cord for over a month before passing away.

Watch the video of Justin Thornton getting KO'ed in his bout against Dillion Clecker below:

Justin Thornton's sad and devastating passing away raised many question marks surrounding the nature of the sport. Although there has been a lot of outrage ever since Thornton's passing away, there hasn't been any decision against the sport as of yet.