The sport of mixed martial arts is such that you truly never know what’s going to happen. Even if you predicted it in advance, you still didn’t know it was going to happen. You just happened to be right.

As the sport continues to grow, unlikely occurrences inside the cage become more and more likely. In a Universe of limited particle combinations and unlimited time and space, all things are eventual. Yes, even a double knockout caused by both fighters flying through a poorly secured cage door that had been damaged in a previous fight in hadn’t been fixed properly.

On February 4, 2012, Braedon Ward took on Brandon Bishop in a lightweight scrap that served as the co-main event at Hardrock MMA 43 in world famous Shepherdsville, Kentucky on the beautiful Salt River.

Ward entered the match making his professional MMA debut, while his opponent, Brandon Bishop, entered the fight with a record of 2 wins and 2 losses. The opening moments of the fight were tense, but mostly uneventful, as both fighters spent most of the fight clinched against the cage, with neither man able to mount any meaningful offense.

It all happened when Ward was able to secure a brief takedown, from which Bishop was able to immediately rise. Undeterred, Ward stayed low and drove Bishop forward. As the two men collided with the cage door, it flew open, spilling both fighters to the concrete below and rendering them both unable to continue.

Although it was an end neither fighter wanted, Hardrock MMA did the right thing and not only took full responsibility for the wonky cage door, but also paid both fighters their win bonuses.

Jeff Warsaw is the former executive editor of Long Island MMA Magazine, professional combat sports public address announcer for several NY/NJ MMA and kickboxing promotions, and a proud one-stripe white belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under the famed Joe D’Arce. He is currently a musician, coffee enthusiast and host of the Stranger In A Strange Land podcast on YouTube.