Russian MMA fighters involved in the Hardcore FC promotion got a bit more than they asked for when a backstage joke went wrong at a recent press conference.
As an event was taking place to promote their upcoming slate of bouts when a fighter known by the nickname 'Venom' decided to put fellow fighter Yuriy Chernyshev in a rear naked choke, seemingly all in good fun. But as other fighters began to notice what was going on, they ran to the backstage area where it appeared that the stunt was going too far.
Ultimately, the Russian ended up choking his rival unconscious leading to a skirmish in the venue involving other fighters, who had tried to stop him. It didn't take long for Chernyshev to get back to his feet, where he was greeted by another fighter who appears to be Georgian Zalimkhan Yusupov looking to pull the same stunt.
But he managed to escape the second choke, and ultimately got into a minor bit of handbags with security breaking up a possible fight. Tensions appeared to be cooling when Chernyshev was approached by Yusupov in what seemed to be an apology, if a slightly violent one.
Hardcore FC are known for their wacky press conferences and antics from fighters, with Tuesday's event no different as security were needed to get Chernyshev out of the building. It comes after a similar press conference last month where punches were thrown between fighters.
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Hardcore FC, who film their events in the style of a reality TV show, put on a conference to promote fights between, among many name, Umar Tesiev and Sergey Kiselev. At the event, the pair wasted no time in trading blows with the brawl sparked when Tesiev was pushed by Kiselev. He stayed stayed on the offensive, punching his rival, who then dropped to shoot for a single-leg takedown.
The promotion appears to have millions of fans in Russia and abroad, with over 923,000 subscribers to their YouTube channel and 213,000 further on Instagram. They put on events frequently, and just have Chernyshev fight last Thursday, where he lost by rear naked choke.
