Not unlike Madonna in the 1980’s, the referees of EFC Africa just continue to churn out hit after hit after excruciating hit. Not many of us thought they would be able to top last month’s chart-topper, “Winning Fighter Begs Ref to Stop Beatdown (The Bernado Mikixi Song)” but wouldn’t you know it, they’ve went and done it again.
In a featherweight contest between Gareth Buirski and Peter Nyide at EFC Africa 29 yesterday, Buirski pulled off a feat rarely seen in MMA when he elbowed Nyide unconscious with elbows from the bottom. It was a victory that would have surely been lauded by many an MMA fan had it not been overshadowed by the absolutely atrocious stoppage that followed. While the first elbow Buirski threw was enough to render Nyide unconscious, it wasn’t until Buirski had thrown fifteen more that the referee realized that the man lying limp and face down *might* be in trouble. Bravo, sir.
Seriously, Buirski threw fifteen elbows in a row — KO’ing and reawakening Nyide at least three times in the process — before the ref jumped in. Perhaps my favorite reaction to this, the latest in what has become an increasingly brutal series of stoppages under the EFC Africa banner, came from the reddit MMA page on which the gif was originally posted:
Thankfully, it looks like Nyide was somehow able to walk away from this one.
Not unlike Madonna in the 1980′s, the referees of EFC Africa just continue to churn out hit after hit after excruciating hit. Not many of us thought they would be able to top last month’s chart-topper, “Winning Fighter Begs Ref to Stop Beatdown (The Bernado Mikixi Song)” but wouldn’t you know it, they’ve went and done it again.
In a featherweight contest between Gareth Buirski and Peter Nyide at EFC Africa 29 yesterday, Buirski pulled off a feat rarely seen in MMA when he elbowed Nyide unconscious with elbows from the bottom. It was a victory that would have surely been lauded by many an MMA fan had it not been overshadowed by the absolutely atrocious stoppage that followed. While the first elbow Buirski threw was enough to render Nyide unconscious, it wasn’t until Buirski had thrown fifteen more that the referee realized that the man lying limp and face down *might* be in trouble. Bravo, sir.
Seriously, Buirski threw fifteen elbows in a row — KO’ing and reawakening Nyide at least three times in the process — before the ref jumped in. Perhaps my favorite reaction to this, the latest in what has become an increasingly brutal series of stoppages under the EFC Africa banner, came from the reddit MMA page on which the gif was originally posted:
Thankfully, it looks like Nyide was somehow able to walk away from this one.
Words cannot even begin to describe how abhorrent and borderline criminal referee Wiekus Swart’s performance was at yesterday’s EFC Africa 28 event. To quote Gene Wilder, Wiekus Smart is a “stupid, ignorant son of a bitch, dumb bastard” who should have his license revoked and be barred from attending an MMA event, watching an MMA event, or even listening to an MMA-themed podcast until he is shed of this mortal coil.
Let’s take a step back. About three weeks back, specifically, when EFC Africa fighter Booto Guylain died as a result of head injuries he suffered during a TKO loss to Keron Davies. It was a devastating moment for the tightly-knit EFC community, and one that EFC Africa President Cairo Howarth dubbed “a huge loss to the sport and to all who know him.”
It was also a tragedy placed at the forefront of EFC 28 yesterday, with all of the evening’s competitors donning a black armband to honor Guylain in a touching, if frightening reminder of how dangerous a sport MMA can be. Yet at this very same event, referee Swart allowed this catastrophe of common sense and human judgement to take place during a fight between Christophe Walravens and Bernado Mikixi.
How many illegal shots to the back of the head did you count after Walravens dropped Mikixi? 10? 12? How many seconds did you count between Walravens pleading with Swart to end the fight and Swart’s intervention?
I’ve never said that the job of an MMA referee was an easy one, nor have I ever claimed that I could do it better than those who do. But this is unforgivable. Allowing this man to continue refereeing MMA fights would be akin to allowing Denzel Washington’s character in Flight to continue flying planes.
In an era of MMA where referees are still only being held accountable for their actions on message boards and blogs, a precedence needs to be set that the job of protecting two trained fighters from killing one another is not one to be taken lightly, nor is it one that should be granted to any asshole with $600 and 3 days of spare time. An example needs to be made. Wiekus Swart is that example.
Words cannot even begin to describe how abhorrent and borderline criminal referee Wiekus Swart’s performance was at yesterday’s EFC Africa 28 event. To quote Gene Wilder, Wiekus Smart is a “stupid, ignorant son of a bitch, dumb bastard” who should have his license revoked and be barred from attending an MMA event, watching an MMA event, or even listening to an MMA-themed podcast until he is shed of this mortal coil.
Let’s take a step back. About three weeks back, specifically, when EFC Africa fighter Booto Guylain died as a result of head injuries he suffered during a TKO loss to Keron Davies. It was a devastating moment for the tightly-knit EFC community, and one that EFC Africa President Cairo Howarth dubbed “a huge loss to the sport and to all who know him.”
It was also a tragedy placed at the forefront of EFC 28 yesterday, with all of the evening’s competitors donning a black armband to honor Guylain in a touching, if frightening reminder of how dangerous a sport MMA can be. Yet at this very same event, referee Swart allowed this catastrophe of common sense and human judgement to take place during a fight between Christophe Walravens and Bernado Mikixi.
How many illegal shots to the back of the head did you count after Walravens dropped Mikixi? 10? 12? How many seconds did you count between Walravens pleading with Swart to end the fight and Swart’s intervention?
I’ve never said that the job of an MMA referee was an easy one, nor have I ever claimed that I could do it better than those who do. But this is unforgivable. Allowing this man to continue refereeing MMA fights would be akin to allowing Denzel Washington’s character in Flight to continue flying planes.
In an era of MMA where referees are still only being held accountable for their actions on message boards and blogs, a precedence needs to be set that the job of protecting two trained fighters from killing one another is not one to be taken lightly, nor is it one that should be granted to any asshole with $600 and 3 days of spare time. An example needs to be made. Wiekus Swart is that example.
A South African middleweight MMA fighter named Booto Guylaindied earlier today, from head injuries he suffered during a TKO loss to Keron Davies last Thursday at EFC Africa 27. Guylain was 29 years old, and very new to the sport, as his only other pro fight was a previous TKO loss at EFC Africa 25 in November.
The fight that claimed Guylain’s life ended like so many others in MMA — with Guylain on his back sustaining a series of elbow strikes from Davies, who was in full mount. According to a news brief released by EFC Africa after the fight, Guylain was stabilized by the on-site medical team immediately afterwards and transported to the Johannesburg General Hospital, where he was treated for swelling and bleeding on the brain.
However, the South African MMA website PrettyTuff reported that Guylain’s medical treatment was delayed “because he does not have medical aid and [because of] the long process involved in admitting a patient into a busy government facility in South Africa.” At some point, Guylain lapsed into a coma, and died today despite the efforts of a neuro-surgical team.
“We are devastated,” said EFC Africa president Cairo Howarth. “This is a huge loss to the sport and to all who know him. Our thoughts are with his family in this trying time.” ONEPLAN, EFC Africa’s disability partner, will provide financial support to Guylain’s wife and son.
A South African middleweight MMA fighter named Booto Guylaindied earlier today, from head injuries he suffered during a TKO loss to Keron Davies last Thursday at EFC Africa 27. Guylain was 29 years old, and very new to the sport, as his only other pro fight was a previous TKO loss at EFC Africa 25 in November.
The fight that claimed Guylain’s life ended like so many others in MMA — with Guylain on his back sustaining a series of elbow strikes from Davies, who was in full mount. According to a news brief released by EFC Africa after the fight, Guylain was stabilized by the on-site medical team immediately afterwards and transported to the Johannesburg General Hospital, where he was treated for swelling and bleeding on the brain.
However, the South African MMA website PrettyTuff reported that Guylain’s medical treatment was delayed “because he does not have medical aid and [because of] the long process involved in admitting a patient into a busy government facility in South Africa.” At some point, Guylain lapsed into a coma, and died today despite the efforts of a neuro-surgical team.
“We are devastated,” said EFC Africa president Cairo Howarth. “This is a huge loss to the sport and to all who know him. Our thoughts are with his family in this trying time.” ONEPLAN, EFC Africa’s disability partner, will provide financial support to Guylain’s wife and son.
Cain Velasquez may have ruined the heavyweight division at UFC 166, but it looks like the world’s premier MMA organization is going to move forward with this whole “signing heavyweight prospects” thing regardless.
News broke yesterday that the UFC had signed EFC heavyweight champion Ruan Potts to a six fight deal, marking the first EFC prospect to be picked up by the UFC in the South African promotion’s brief history. Currently 8-1 in professional competition, Potts is a two-time EFC Heavyweight champion who has balanced 4 TKOs against 4 submissions and most recently scored a trilogy-securing victory over rival Andrew van Zyl at EFC 26 via first round armbar. Despite possessing a goddamn awful nickname in “Fangzz”, Potts should hopefully shake up the UFC’s heavyweight division in these post-Barry times (*cries*).
There isn’t much footage of Potts’ recent fights available, but we did manage to find a few videos of him in action from earlier in his career, so join us after the jump to see what this kid can do.
Cain Velasquez may have ruined the heavyweight division at UFC 166, but it looks like the world’s premier MMA organization is going to move forward with this whole “signing heavyweight prospects” thing regardless.
News broke yesterday that the UFC had signed EFC heavyweight champion Ruan Potts to a six fight deal, marking the first EFC prospect to be picked up by the UFC in the South African promotion’s brief history. Currently 8-1 in professional competition, Potts is a two-time EFC Heavyweight champion who has balanced 4 TKOs against 4 submissions and most recently scored a trilogy-securing victory over rival Andrew van Zyl at EFC 26 via first round armbar. Despite possessing a goddamn awful nickname in “Fangzz”, Potts should hopefully shake up the UFC’s heavyweight division in these post-Barry times (*cries*).
There isn’t much footage of Potts’ recent fights available, but we did manage to find a few videos of him in action from earlier in his career, so join us after the jump to see what this kid can do.
Potts vs. Ubutombe Baygon – EFC 8
Potts vs. Norman Wessels – EFC 9
In addition to Potts, it has been announced that the UFC has signed Josh Barnett teammate Jack “The Outlaw” May to a multi-fight deal as well. Standing at 6’8″ and bringing 6 first round knockouts in 7 contests into his octagon debut against Bellator vet Derrick Lewis at UFC on FOX 11, it will be interesting to see how May, and Potts for that matter, fare when faced with the bright lights of the UFC.
Props to BabesofMMA.com for introducing us to Naomi Das, a veteran “Hexagon Girl” for EFC Africa who will be back in action at EFC Africa 20 on June 27th. Originally hailing from North Wales, Naomi currently resides in Johannesburg where she spends her time as a model, hostess, and bikini competitor when she’s not circling the cage. The half-Indian, half-English beauty has also been a brand-ambassador for Luxy lingerie, and a news-reader for Babe News Nework.
Check out more of our favorite Naomi Das photos in the gallery below, and get to know her better on Facebook and Twitter.
Props to BabesofMMA.com for introducing us to Naomi Das, a veteran “Hexagon Girl” for EFC Africa who will be back in action at EFC Africa 20 on June 27th. Originally hailing from North Wales, Naomi currently resides in Johannesburg where she spends her time as a model, hostess, and bikini competitor when she’s not circling the cage. The half-Indian, half-English beauty has also been a brand-ambassador for Luxy lingerie, and a news-reader for Babe News Nework.
Check out more of our favorite Naomi Das photos in the gallery above, and get to know her better on Facebook and Twitter.
