Things escalated rather quickly during a cageside brawl at a recent MMA event in Florida.
Florida has seemingly built a reputation as a state that thrives in some form of chaos. For starters, it’s a place where people flock in droves to celebrate spring break amid a full-blown global pandemic.
That unique brand of Florida craziness was also on full display during Saturday’s Rize Fighting Championship amateur MMA event at the Bamboo Room in Lake Worth Beach. The madness began when a group of audience members suddenly engaged in a brawl. People began shoving each other, letting wooden chairs fly.
Moments later, an unidentified man suddenly began firing gunshots in the air, causing people to scramble in panic.
TMZ caught parts of the melee on video.
Former UFC fighter Hector Lombard was also in attendance. Here’s how it happened from his angle.
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Teri Barbera later confirmed that no one was struck by stray bullets. The civilian who fired the weapon, however, is facing charges.
“There could be more charges. It could have killed somebody. Right now, it’s shots fired, which is a felony charge,” Barbera told MMA Fighting.
Florida is also the first state to welcome a live UFC event at full capacity. UFC 261 will take place in front of a packed crowd of 15,000 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville. It features three title fights, headlined by a welterweight championship rematch between Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal.