The Englishman Wanliss arrested him immediately after leaving the room where the press conference had been held moments before. The English showman was immediately attacked by his rival coaching duo Siraj, who was supposed to wrestle him in the cage the next day. But fists had been in the air hours before. The first mentioned escaped with several bruises, his frustration having to be tamed by those present. Organizations also have something to explain.

“It was made immediately. We had security outside and the first one out was the security guy who was walking in front of Wanliss the whole time but Akonne passed him because he was in a hurry. At that moment, Reza pounced on him (Siraj’s coach, Reza Madadi – editor’s note). There are things you cannot prevent. This little push happens in all sports. From tennis to badminton,” Oktagon co-founder Ondřej Novotný said at a press conference.

In the end, the band-aid of life came for the two coaches, the stoppage also applied to the aforementioned coach Madadi, a famous former UFC fighter. “This is really too much, that’s why it’s banned for life. This is a demonstration that this behavior is unacceptable. We appeal to everyone. We want to be family entertainment,” worried Novotný who discussed the situation from Friday evening to Saturday afternoon. That was clear just hours before the start of the tournament.

“As an athlete, I don’t defend my behavior, but that’s enough. I would like to apologize to Siraj who was affected by the incident and to the fans who were looking forward to the match. But I will always stand behind my fighters and defend them to the death. “Wanliss’ bad words this time have consequences,” Madadi, who was punished, apologized on social media.

The organization also punished Siraj, who had not taken part in the conflict at all and did not even know about it. In the postponed duel against Wanliss which will be held on April 20 at Octagon 56 in Birmingham, England, he will only fight for half his salary. “Even though it’s none of his business, it is his business. He’s a really nice guy, but we were torn between taking him out of the tournament completely because you’re a team and you’ve done something, and keeping him in the tournament because you don’t want to punish him for messing up. coach. We are in an environment that is not easy,” said Novotný.

In a post on the social network in which the organization explained its actions, most commenters sided with Sweden. Wanliss’s behavior before the match, in which he refused to shake hands at the airport and initiated a verbal exchange, allegedly deserved such a reaction. He also provoked at the weigh-in where he teased his opponent with a lightsaber. “I understand the negative comments, if you want to be on Siraj’s side, fine,” the British provocateur shrugged.

It should be added that with the conflict taking place within the largest domestic fighting organization, Octagon MMA, a firing may have occurred recently. At the end of last year, for example, controversial Irishman Shem Rock, who attacked Czech fighter Jaroslav Pokorný during a staredown, took the lead, and the duel was also cancelled. In mid-February, promoter Pavol Neruda was also hit during the conflict between Croatia’s Ivica Trušček and Germany’s Cihad Akippa.

“Getting kicked out of the Octagon hurts, it’s not fun. But then we always stick to our word, even if other people have bad ideas about it, but if we then fire someone, they accept it. “Maybe if we all organize it like this,” concluded Novotný.