Referee gets KNOCKED OUT mid-fight at MMA Super Cup – VIDEO
Referee gets knocked out but continues on
Today’s MMA Super Cup semi-finals saw Team Ireland going head-to-head with Team Mexico, a series that many expected to be action packed from beginning to end. This very much ended up being the case – for some unexpected reasons.
The men’s lightweight (155lbs) bout between Ireland’s Lewis Byrne and Mexico’s Luis Gonzalez was as action packed and intense as many had predicted beforehand, with both men exchanging momentum over the course of the first two rounds.
Towards the end of the second round, Gonzalez attempted a rolling thunder kick, which, to his credit, was well-executed; unfortunately, the recipient of his kick wasn’t actually Lewis Byrne, but IMAAF referee Scott Manhardt. Yes, you did read that correctly – Gonzalez managed to knock out Manhardt instead of Byrne. To his credit, Manhardt was able to continue refereeing for the remaining round of the fight, and was confirmed to be okay following a post-fight medical.
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Lewis Byrne ultimately walked away with the unanimous decision, whilst Manhardt walked away with an (unexpected) addition to his reputation of having a chin similar to most of the fighters he usually referees.
Byrne led Team Ireland to the final of the MMA Super Cup, where they will meet Team Bahrain, who went past Kazakhstan in the other semifinal.
The BRAVE CF and IMMAF organized MMA Super Cup will have its grand final next Saturday, when the two will meet following an intense BRAVE CF 57, which takes place this Friday at the BRAVE International Combat Week.
