Shirtless Goons Riot, Shut Down GLORY 80

GLORY 80 came to an abrupt (and premature) end on Saturday, right in the middle of the kickboxing rematch between heavyweight rivals Arkadiusz Wrzosek and Badr Hari, when shirtless fans went into business for themselves and started a ringside riot complete with airborne water bottles and flying chairs.

As a result, event organizers were forced to throw in the towel.

“We are deeply saddened that these irresponsible actions have ruined everyone’s night: from fighters, to viewers, to the 7,000 fans, and GLORY staff and partners who participated into the sold-out Trixxo Arena which was supposed to be part of a special night,” according to the promotion’s official statement. “These individuals tried to tarnish the image of the sport that we and millions of fans around the world love and care about. This type of behavior has no place in our sport or at our events.”

The bout between Wrzosek and Hari was ruled a “No Contest” and the headlining act featuring Jamal Ben Saddik vs. Levi Rigters was canceled altogether. Hari later blamed a “small group of hooligans” loyal to Wrzosek for the fight-canceling incident and accused “Hightower” of condoning the “dangerous attitude” of his fans.

Here’s why:

GLORY insists the behavior won’t go unpunished.

“Over the next days, GLORY will be conducting a full investigation on this incident together with the local authorities,” the statement continued. “We will take all necessary measures and apply the strictest sanctions, including legal actions, to anyone who took part, directly or indirectly, in any misconduct.”

Here’s a pair of different angles:

Fans who paid to stream the truncated pay-per-view (PPV) are expected to have answers by the end of the week.