A wild scene unfolded early at UAE Warriors 39 in Abu Dhabi, as a concussed fighter apparently had no idea he was knocked out in just a few seconds of the fight.
A preliminary bout between Rustem Kudaibergenov and Ilkhom Nazimov ended just as fast as it started.
After the fighters touched gloves, Nazimov (9-3) threw a left leg kick as the first strike of the fight. Kudaibergenov (6-2) caught it and threw a laser of a counter right hand which faceplanted Nazimov just five seconds into the fight for the walk-off knockout.
What came next was perhaps even wilder than the lighting-fast finish.
While Kudaibergenov was in celebration mode, hitting a Justin Gaethje-esque backflip off the cage, the referee was tending to Nazimov, who was already back on his feet just a few seconds later.
That’s when a clearly-concussed Nazimov thought he was still in the fight, and began wrestling with the referee.
“He doesn’t know what happened,” the broadcast commentator said. “He just kneed the referee! Did you see that?”
Nazimov tried to grab a Thai clinch and threw knees and kicks while the referee did his best to remain calm throughout the situation until the fighter realized the fight was already over.
Check out video of the wild sequence below (via Twitter):
Crazy scene at UAE Warriors this morning. Rustem Kudaibergenov knocked out Ilkhom Nazimov in 8 seconds, then Nazimov started fighting the ref in the clinch. #UAEWarriors39 pic.twitter.com/F0NWB0ngic
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) March 18, 2023
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