Karate Combat president Asim Zaidi was not going to allow his event to devolve into mayhem. He took matters into his own hands elbows and choked out the perpetrator.
Literally!!
Karate Combat is a full-contact karate league similar to other promotions like the UFC, PFL, or Bellator. However, unlike the other leagues, it is specific to the singular Japanese martial art. Pretty cut and dry.
Karate Kombat 47 took place in front of a sold-out crowd in Orlando, Florida on Friday.
Luis Melendez defeated Will Esparza by unanimous decision during the main card. He proceeded to taunt the losing corner as soon as the verdict was announced.
That did not go over well.
Members of Esparza’s team rushed into the pit and sparked an all-out brawl. Both corners emptied. Pushing and shoving quickly turned to punches thrown.
And then security got involved. They swarmed the pit to deescalate the situation but failed to do so at first. Those involved continued to go at each other’s necks.
Zaidi did so quite literally. He hopped the barrier and got right into the middle of the pit. Esparza’s cornerman was still causing problems so the Karate Combat president shut it down.
The former MMA lightweight fighter got the cornerman in a choke hold and literally put him to sleep.
cornermen just rushed the other corner and Karate Combat president @pres_awesome just choked him out cold with Sam Alvey #KC47 pic.twitter.com/O3MRXtOSJM
— MacMally 🍀 (@MacMallyMMA) June 29, 2024
It took a few moments to bring the cornerman back to consciousness. Zaidi put him out for awhile!
As soon as he woke up, Esparza’s team was escorted out of the venue.
Karate Kombat 47 got back underway after a brief delay, which was deescalated by the promotion’s president himself. Zaidi’s approach to the chaos could not have been any cooler. Imagine a world where Dana White hopped into the octagon to choke out a cornerman amid an all-out brawl. That is, essentially, what happened in Orlando on Friday!