Chaos! Fighter Won’t Release Choke, Shoves Referee

UAE Warriors 12 was held earlier today (Friday, July 31, 2020) inside Jiu-Jitsu Arena in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, featuring a chaotic finish that nearly ended in fisticuffs between featherweight Ahmad Al Darmaki and referee Marc Goddard.

That’s because Al Darmaki refused to release his rear-naked choke on Bogdan Kirilenko, which led to a physical struggle, followed by some pushing and shoving before ultimately, a disqualification finish. Maybe Al Darmaki didn’t feel the tap, or perhaps he didn’t hear Goddard’s plea to stop; “heat of the moment” stuff, but I’m not sure you can explain his antics that followed.

The announcers were equally dumbfounded.

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! What is happening?!? No, no, no, you don’t do that! He’s gonna make a big mistake messing with Marc Goddard! Wow, things just took a crazy turn.”

Goddard is a former light heavyweight fighter and a black belt under Braulio Estima so yeah, probably not a good idea to turn it into a street fight.