MMA: the Doumbé-Baki leaders' fight turns into a bad joke due to a piece of glass

Cédric Doumbé, unhappy, was forced to stop the fight by the referee (archives). MAXPPP – Photo Maxime JEGAT

The fight flopped after 21 seconds. 

The long-awaited clash was a flop… The fight between fighters Cédric Doumbé and Baysangur "Baki" Chamsoudinov ended in ubiquitous fashion, with a victory for Baki, after a surprising and contested decision by the referee, Thursday at the Accor Arena in Paris. "I don't know what to say", Doumbé said, annoyed, to the spectators."I'm very disappointed that it ended like this."

This Franco-French poster, between two fighters particularly popular with the public, had been awaited for months. Especially since the two rivals had provoked each other on social networks, whetting the appetite of MMA fans for a confrontation.

A piece of glass…

While he remained on a victory dispatched in nine seconds against Jordan Zebo, Doumbé, 31 years old, announced favorite, had a lot to do against Baki, considered at 22 years old as a great hope of the discipline. The fight started on high ground and in an overheated atmosphere, but it ended abruptly 21 seconds into the third round after Doumbé complained about a piece of glass embedded in a toe of the left foot.

The one who nicknamed himself "The Best" indicated that he wanted to continue the fight but the referee ended the proceedings, under whistles from the public. A disappointing outcome for the approximately 15,000 spectators present, including an eclectic panel of celebrities, from Gérard Lanvin to Kaaris, including François Civil, Jamel Debbouze and Tony Parker.

Fans Disappointment

The atmosphere, relatively lukewarm at the start of the event, had nevertheless warmed up well as the fights progressed to reach boiling temperatures with the # 39;entrance onto the scene of Doumbé and Baki, protagonists of the main fight of the map.

I'm disgusted, the referee stopped the fight. I explained to him that I didn't want to stop

The fans were undoubtedly hoping for an epic duel between the two rivals, on the occasion of the PFL's second visit to Paris, the evening therefore ended at the back of fish. The American league, which ultimately hopes to compete with the UFC, the most prestigious MMA organization, would undoubtedly also have preferred another scenario and therefore another publicity.

"I'm disgusted, the referee stopped the fight. I explained to him that I didn't want to stop, I wanted to fight…", explained Doumbé, who enjoys immense popularity with fans. "I wanted it to be my evening, that we all enjoy it together with the French public, so for it to end like this, it's disappointing."

The unexpected is part of the fight

Despite the victory, Baki, who owes his nickname to Baki Hanma, a manga hero with extraordinary physical abilities, also confessed "staying on < /em>(sa) hungry". "The unexpected is part of the fight", he nevertheless estimated. "The body is something that is constantly evolving. A fight, I see it as a battlefield, so an injury is part of the fight".