Iranian MMA fighter Ali Heibati has been given a lifetime ban from the Hard Fighting Championship (HFC) after kicking a ring girl.
“Iranian fighter Ali Heibati faced Arkady Osipyan at the Hardcore MMA tournament in Moscow on Friday night,” reported the Daily Mail. “Before the fight had even got underway, Heibati bizarrely stepped forward and kicked a ring girl in the derriere as she walked past holding up a card signaling that the opening round was about to start.”
“The woman turned around and was clearly taken aback by Heibati’s behaviour, approaching him to voice her disapproval before the referee stepped in to keep them apart and appeared to warn Heibati about his conduct,” it added.
The fight commenced moments later, with Osipyan handily beating Heibati with a technical knockout in the first round. Following his loss, Heibati’s antics continued when he started throwing cheap shots at Osipyan’s back as the referee walked him to his corner. After some people jumped into the cage to break the commotion, Heibati then got into a scuffle with a commentator and aimed a kick at his head. Later, the crowd could be seen rushing Heibati and proceeded to beat him severely.
Heibati later apologized for his actions on social media, specifically to the ring girl, Maria.
“Hello, everyone. This is for Maria. I didn’t act right with her. The reason was that before the MMA fight, there were a lot of fistfights. I stayed there in the cage, and I just wanted to go out and fight,” he said.
“I was tense and, as most understand, emotions flourish in the fight, so before the fight, I acted badly towards María,” he added. “I want to publicly apologise to her. I am a married man, so I respect the female gender. She was doing her job, and I, after the fight, didn’t admit my guilt either because they also hit me on the head. Tell María that I am sorry.”
The HFC gave a lifetime ban to Heibati.
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