There were bizarre scenes at an MMA event in Crimea as referee Armen Ananyan was forced to subdue disoriented fighter Renat Lyatifov, who had continued to grapple despite being knocked out less than 10 seconds into his bout.
A devastating right hand from Croatian fighter Karlo Caput sent Lyatifov crashing to the canvas in the opening stages of the pair’s fight at the Crimea Rush ‘Farewell to Arms’ event in Yalta on Wednesday.
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As Caput continued to pound away at the stricken Lyatifov, referee Ananyan stepped in to call off the fight.
However, as the camera panned away to the victorious Croatian, a disoriented Lyatifov could be seen attempting to grapple with Ananyan for several seconds, before the referee subdued him with a guillotine choke and the fighter’s team stepped in.
Ananyan, himself a former fighter, then stepped away with a smile and brief shake of his head.
The win moved 25-year-old Caput’s record to 8-0, while Lyatifov, 29, now stands at 34-24.
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The event also saw Russia’s Marif Piraev, 25, submit American UFC veteran Jim Alers in the second round. Alers, 31, retired from professional MMA after the loss.