“Protect yourself at all times.”
Combat sports athletes hear those five words before every fight. More often than not, fighters will accept touching gloves once a bout has started. Sometimes, the one who opposes the glove touch will either wave off their opponent or just ignore the gesture.
There are other times, however, when a glove touch attempt is met with aggression. That was the case at Golden Cage 6. Walter Pugliesi was only interested in channeling his inner Jorge Masvidal. Unfortunately for his opponent, the message was lost.
Walter Pugliesi Sleeps Opponent
As Pugliesi charged forward, his opponent attempted to touch gloves. The opponent was nailed with a flying knee and put away with ground-and-pound.
The public opinion seems to be split on this one. Some have panned Pugliesi for raising his hand towards his opponent before the bell, which usually indicates a mutual agreement to touch gloves. Others feel the opponent held his glove out for far too long and should’ve taken the hint sooner.
Some have also made the case that it’s possible Pugliesi was gesturing towards the official and not his opponent pre-fight. We likely won’t have the answer to that as the camera wasn’t panned out for that moment.
Regardless, it’s a win for the “Kraken.” Pugliesi has now improved his pro MMA record to 8-3 according to Tapology.
SEVEN SECOND flying knee finish by Walter Pugliesi earlier at #TheGoldenCage4 pic.twitter.com/cGK27Qehk7
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) December 4, 2021
