It was a night to remember at Hardcore Fighting Championship (HFC) last weekend in Moscow.
Iranian MMA fighter Ali Heibati got his ass beat by an angry Russian mob after kicking the ring girl and sucker-punching his opponent. In addition, the embattled lightweight also got slapped with a lifetime ban by the promoters at HFC.
“Hello everyone, this is for Maria,” Heibati said on social media. “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. I was tense and, as most understand, emotions flourish in the fight, so before the fight I acted badly towards María.”
“I want to publicly apologize to her,” Heibati continued. “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.”
Heibati was defeated by Arkadiy Osipyan at 4:25 of the opening round.
“What happened in today’s live broadcast is beyond all moral and ethical standards,” HFC wrote in a subsequent statement. “No one has any right to touch, let alone beat the staff, employees and partners of Hardcore Media. Moreover, such marginal behavior is absolutely unacceptable towards women. Loosening your hands towards ladies is the lowest a man can go to. The League decided that in the context of the current situation, the apologies already made by Ali Heibati are absolutely not enough. He will be fined for his fee, and the entire amount will be transferred to ring-girl Maria.”
“Also, all participants of mass backstage fights will be disqualified and removed from appearances in Hardcore Media promotions,” the statement continued. “At this moment, we are identifying all the names and culprits who have participated in these acts of unsportsmanlike behavior. Respect yourself, respect each other, respect the code of honor and simple moral values. Respect the behavioral norms of the civilized society you are part of.”
Sounds like Heibati will feel right at home if he signs with Punch Club.