It was one hell of a fight that kicked off the card, and surprisingly it was Clark who dominated the first round. Her success was short lived when Herrig did a 180, dominating rounds two and three. How it was a split decision, I have no idea. Personally, I think it was a judging error. But the most shocking part of the fight was immediately following the final buzzer, when Herrig let out a victory roar inches from Clarks face, which provoked Clark to backhand her opponent.
After seeing what looked like obvious gloating by Herrig, I’d assume Clark would be displeased, but swinging at your opponent after the fight like that is inexcusable. When the buzzer goes off during a an all-out brawl, it’s common for a punch to land maybe a millisecond after, and that’s perfectly acceptable, but this was more like the time Paul Daley sucker punched Josh Koscheck at UFC 113. It’s just plain ridiculous.
Unlike Josh Koscheck, Herrig fired back when she was attacked. No significant damage was done on either end, and it seemed like the intentional foul was completely forgotten not more than a moment later.
I may have been because it was the first fight the night, with many exciting fights, such as the lightweight and light heavyweight tournament finals, but the issue of Clark’s post buzzer attack wasn’t brought up at the post fight press conference. Not by Bellator CEO, Bjorn Rebney, or any member of the media.
Now this is only speculation, by it seems to me that the situation would’ve been taken more seriously, both by the ref and Bjorn Rebney, if it had been a male bout. But then again, maybe I’m wrong. As always, your opinions are welcome, positive and negative. That’s right, bring it!
– Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli
@FightFreek