- A referee got hit by both fighters in a chaotic incident at Rizin 49: Decade
- The fight continued and the referee was able to officiate until the end
Both fighters refused to be stopped and hit the referee with several punches during an insane fight at Rizin 49: Decade on New Year’s Eve.
The referee got hit
Rukiya Anpo was supposed to face Ryan Garcia at Rizin 49 but the boxing superstar was prompted to pull out due to an injury. This saw Anpo taking on K-1 champion Sina Karimian, who has a reputation for violating fight rules during matches.
As expected, Karimian did not disappoint with his antics and decided to throw some illegal spinning backfists, forcing the referee in charge to give him warnings. However, Anpo opted to hit back with an illegal spinning backfist as well, resulting in a chaotic brawl. Both fighters ended up hitting the referee as they continued fighting despite being asked to stop.
Check out the wild scene below:
⚠️ A MELEE HAS BROKEN OUT
SINA KARIMIAN HAS PUNCHED THE REFEREE!⚠️
[ #RIZIN_DECADE | LIVE on https://t.co/LChPUvqSqh ] pic.twitter.com/WbEYJQm6W2
— RIZIN.tv (@RIZINTV_) December 31, 2024
The fight went on
Despite the bizarre incident, the fight went on. The referee was a bit rocked by the punches he ate but still managed to continue officiating the bout.
TEAM BREAKING DOWN HAS WON‼️
4️⃣ -3️⃣
Rukiya Anpo takes the unanimous decision win over Sina Karimian!
[ #RIZIN_DECADE | LIVE on https://t.co/LChPUvqSqh ] pic.twitter.com/NIdUdDAk51
— RIZIN.tv (@RIZINTV_) December 31, 2024
In the end, it was Anpo who was declared the winner via unanimous decision after earning a lopsided 60-54 score from all three judges.
