The fighter won without inflicting a single blow. The opponent just got scared and ran away.
Sergey Sorokin August 21, 2023, 15:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Even the persuasion of the seconds and the judge did not help.
Mixed martial arts tournaments are different. Some are literally bursting with brilliant fights, in others the audience is downright bored. But OCTAGON 48 will definitely be remembered by fans for a long time. And all because it was within the framework of this tournament that perhaps the strangest fight in recent times took place.
Phantom Strike decided the fate of the duel:
The knockout that never happened. The smiling boy fell from a light blow to the cheekbone. Video
Kemal Salih had a professional record of 2-3. The German hoped to find an opponent who would be tough for him. But the organizers decided otherwise. The rival was the powerful Timur Kuanysh (2-0). He is quickly gaining momentum and becoming an increasingly formidable force. Salih was definitely dissatisfied with such matchmaking work. But the audience was waiting for a brilliant duel, because they wanted to see how exactly Kuanysh would deal with his next opponent.
It heated up interest and the sterdown, which turned out to be tense. Apparently, Salih decided to literally get under the skin of his opponent. He constantly grabbed and pushed Kuanysh, taunted him, and tried to anger him. True, everything seemed as if Timur was absolutely calm, against which all Kemal’s efforts were broken.
It is almost impossible to discern this attack the first time:
Ghost Takedown! And from which repetition did you understand why the Japanese collapsed?
Kemal entered the cage, but he seemed nervous. And then he started literally walking out of the Octagon. First, Salih’s deputy tried to intervene in the situation. He insisted in lofty tones for the room to muster his courage, and yet he dueled against a dangerous opponent. But the fighter persistently rushed to the exit, he was not going to stay. The show did not end there.
The next to appease Kemal was the judge. He approached the athlete and began to persuade him to keep the fight. But his efforts were not crowned with success. As a result, the referee called the fighters to the center of the octagon and raised Kuanysh’s hand. He was very happy. In fact, it’s not always that easy to send a win into your piggy bank.
Salih never agreed to fight Kuanysh, but after the end of the tournament he tried to justify himself to the fans. He claimed that he wasn’t scared in any way, he just didn’t find enough motivation in himself to fight. But, to be honest, this version doesn’t inspire much confidence.
