A kickboxing event in Belgium was called off after dozens of fans began brawling in the crowd
A high-stakes rematch between kickboxing legend Badr Hari and rival Arkadiusz Wrzosek was called off midway through the bout after a crowd brawl erupted during the fight and progressively worsened at GLORY 80 in Belgium.
Hari, one of the most famous kickboxers in history, was seeking revenge from his first fight with Wrzosek in September, when his opponent survived an early onslaught from Hari to score a come-from-behind head kick knockout victory – and it looked as though Wrzosek might have been en route to scoring another win against his iconic opponent after he dropped Hari with a flying knee in the second round.
However, it quickly became apparent that all of the action wasn’t necessarily confined to the ring inside Hasselt’s Trixxo Arena after a brawl became evident in the crowd, quickly growing in size to the point that officials called for the fight to be stopped.
Officials from the GLORY promotion called for calm inside the stadium but their pleas appeared to fall on deaf ears as attendees began throwing chairs and other ringside equipment, prompting the organization to cancel the main event fight between Jamal Ben Saddik and Levi Rigters, and declare Hari and Wrzosek’s bout a no-contest.
Things have taken a turn for the worse. Brawls are breaking out, chairs are being thrown, fans are storming out of the arena. #GLORY80 pic.twitter.com/jZenGHNfD3
— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) March 19, 2022
Belgium. 19.03.2022
Glory kickboxing tournament.