VIDEO | Moscow MMA event turns into mass brawl

At an MMA event in Moscow, the violence extended outside of the cage. A major brawl broke out involving fighters and audience members at the local ‘Coliseum’ sporting event.

The incident left one fighter seriously injured. It is unclear what ignited the commotion, but according to coach Pavel Murtazin, embittered fans sparked the fight.

He said (transcript translated from 5 Russian News): “Even before the start of the mass brawl, there were all kinds of provocations, disputes with the judges in the corridors, shoving, pushing, the athletes could not just get to the cage. All this was provided by the audience, which the organizers constantly called for order, but they ignored it.

“It’s necessary to identify the perpetrators and punish them,” concluded the trainer.

Clips shared online showed the extent of the crazy brawl. According to reports, the commotion was sparked before the first fight. Attendees were seen throwing chairs and bottles. One fighter received a cut to the head and another fighter broke a wrist. In the heat of the action, a mobile phone was stolen from one of the event participants.

Watch the scrimmage below:

https://twitter.com/WildWildMoscow/status/1223201696031088641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1223201696031088641&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rt.com%2Fsport%2F479767-moscow-mma-mass-brawl%2F

The event organizers tried to calm the drama but their efforts were futile as the attendees continued to rage on. The MMA event was ultimately halted. As a result, the organizers wrote statements to the police who are investigating the incident.

With a lot on the line and rival fans in close proximity, emotions run high for athletes and spectators alike. It isn’t unheard of for fights to break out in the crowd of local or national sporting events.

Do you think conflicts are to be expected with live sporting events? Or do you think more needs to be done to stop fights from taking place at MMA events in future? Sound off in the comments below at Penn Nation.