Sometimes, things happen that just make you want to scratch your head. When such things happen during the spectacle of a prizefight, it makes it all the more bizarre. Today, we’ll be looking back at some of the more perplexing events in the history of combat sports.
9) The Streaker
Something you don’t expect to see at a fight— a stark naked man streaking across the cage. His 15 seconds of fame may be something he always remembers, and the traumatized fans witnessing the event at Strike Force 6 will likely feel the same.
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8) Voodoo Doll KO
What actually happened here was par for the course for a mixed martial arts match— a man’s body goes limp after getting knocked out— but it’s the way Steve Nelmark fell after Tank Abbott disposed of him at UFC: The Ultimate Ultimate 2 that left onlookers gasping with horror and concern. It almost appeared as though Abbott broke him in half. Thankfully, Nelmark escaped with no serious injuries and looked a lot more hurt than he actually was, mostly due to the limp position his body fell into after being rendered unconscious.
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7) Man vs. Light Fixture
Thankfully, we can file this one under bizarre instead of tragic. Madison High School wrestler and South Dakota native, Michael McComish, was struck down by an 80-pound spotlight after it fell on him from the rafters above. Miraculously, he escaped with no serious injuries.
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6) You Hit, I Hit
At the beginning of the second round, the two fighters simultaneously connected with powerful left hooks and sent each other crashing to the canvas simultaneously. Unlike the events in Rocky 2, both fighters managed to beat the count and continued fighting. However, the fight was stopped in the very next round, when Paul Samuels blitzed Cello Renda with an unanswered attack that forced the ref to call a halt to the bout.
5) The Meltdown
Things were not going particularly well for Oliver McCall during his highly anticipated rematch with Lennox Lewis back in 1997— not only was he losing the fight, but he was losing it period! In a bizarre turn of events, he turned his back on Lewis, who he continued to walk away from while refusing to engage in the action. After the round ended, he continued to walk around the ring and wouldn’t return to his corner. He then broke down into tears but was eventually coaxed by referee Mills Lane to return to the action in the fifth round. Lo and behold, when the bout commenced, McCall turned and walked away from Lewis once more and Lane was eventually forced to call a halt to the bout.
4) Run, Forrest! Run!
Tito Ortiz’s retirement from the UFC is not something he is likely to remember in the most favorable light— thanks to Forrest Griffin. When the final bell sounded after a fairly evenly contested bout between the two at UFC 148, an upset Griffin ran out of the Octagon and towards the dressing rooms, only to have Dana White order him back into the Octagon for the official announcement. Griffin seem perplexed when the decision was called in his favor and hijacked the microphone from commentator Joe Rogan, who had to watch as Griffin decided to conduct his own interview with Ortiz. Ortiz was apparently quite unhappy with how the event unfolded— especially considering this was his swan song in the Octagon!
3) Arena-wide riot in New York
July 11, 1996, went down as one of the most explosive nights in boxing history. An arena-wide riot broke out after members of Bowe’s corner, including his manager Rock Newman, attacked Golota due to a low blow that he landed on a battered Bowe. Within seconds, both the ring and the crowd were full of bodies swinging and shoving, some trying to help, but most just wanting in on the action. Lou Duva, who was 74 years old at the time and worked in Golota’s corner, actually dropped to the canvas and passed out. He was subsequently wheeled away on a stretcher after suffering from severe chest pains. His condition was later updated to stable at the hospital.
2) Man in the Sky
During the 7th round of the second of three fights in the Holyfield vs. Bowe trilogy, parachutist James ‘Fan Man’ Miller ascended into Caesars Palace as though from the heavens, and eventually spiral-crash landed into the ring. After fans and staff at the event turned the fight on him, a member of Bowe’s security team knocked him unconscious. The infamous ‘Fan Man’ debacle would go on to be pronounced Event of the Year by The Ring magazine in 1993.
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1) Biting off more than he can chew
In what is one of the most infamous incidents in boxing history, Mike Tyson was disqualified in his 1997 rematch against Evander Holyfield after he bit off a piece of his ear in a fit of rage. Tyson was disqualified from the match and was slapped with a lifetime ban from boxing, though his license was later reinstated.
