Ali Heibati receives lifetime ban after kicking ring girl – VIDEO
Ali Heibati, an Iranian mixed martial artist, has received a lifetime ban from competing with the Hardcore Fighting Championship promotion after kicking a ring girl at his April 19 fight in Moscow, Russia.
Heibati was competing against Arkadiy Osipyan at Hardcore MMA 90 when the incident took place.
As you can see in the video below, the ring girl (Maria) is strutting around the cage to signify the start of the first round when Heibita, a Muslim athlete, kicks her.
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Maria turned round, clearly surprised, and voiced her anger before the referee stepped in.
Heibati later posted an apology online, but not before he would go on to lose the fight, and then multiple fights broke out as a result of his actions.
“Hello everyone. This is for Maria,” he wrote. “I didn’t act right with her. The reason was that before the MMA fight there were a lot of fistfights. I stayed there in the cage and I just wanted to go out and fight.
“I was tense and, as most understand, emotions flourish in the fight, so before the fight I acted badly towards María. I want to publicly apologise to her. I am a married man, so I respect the female gender. She was doing her job and I, after the fight, didn’t admit my guilt either, because they also hit me on the head. Tell María that I am sorry.”
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The promotion then responded, providing a lifetime ban.
“What happened in today’s live broadcast is beyond all moral and ethical standards. No one has any right to touch, let alone beat the staff, employees and partners of Hardcore Media. Moreover, such marginal behavior is absolutely unacceptable towards women. Loosening your hands towards ladies is the lowest a man can go to.
“The League decided that in the context of the current situation, the apologies already made by Ali Heibati are absolutely not enough. He will be fined for his fee, and the entire amount will be transferred to ring-girl Maria. Also, all participants of mass backstage fights will be disqualified and removed from appearances in Hardcore Media promotions. At this moment, we are identifying all the names and culprits who have participated in these acts of unsportsmanlike behavior. Respect yourself, respect each other, respect the code of honor and simple moral values. Respect the behavioral norms of the civilized society you are part of.”
