Being on the receiving end of a professional fighter’s clenched fist is never fun, especially if your only job is to simply carry signs that display what round it is.
Mixed martial artist Andrew Whitney thought he had the victory in the bag against Farkhad Sharipov during their title bout at Titan Fight Championship last week.
Much to the fighter’s dismay, the decision went in favor of his opponent, which left him visibly frustrated.
In a fit of anger and disbelief, the brawler, nicknamed “The Beast,” reacted by swinging what seemed to be a random punch.
However, as seen in a shocking video that has since gone viral, an unsuspecting ring girl was standing behind him and received the full-force blow straight on her jaw.
The ring girl looked to be dazed by the punch, but surprisingly managed to keep her balance and stay on her feet.
Whitney, on the other hand, appeared not to have done it on purpose and quickly rushed to the girl’s aid upon realizing what he had done.
In the aftermath of the incident, Titan Fighting Championship CEO Jeff Aronson released a statement.
“Our ring card girl was attended to by the ringside doctor and officials. She indicated she was fine and was more surprised by the punch than injured,” Aronson said.
“Titan FC is broadcast around the world and we expect our athletes to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times. We have spoken with Andrew Whitney and his management and they are taking appropriate actions to make sure this unforeseen incident is not repeated,” he added.
The 32-year-old Whitney was on a four-fight winning streak losing to Sharipov on a unanimous points decision. It has yet to be known if he will face sanctions for his actions. Khristian Ibarrola
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