Red mist on the mat: Watch wrestling bout erupt into MASS BRAWL at international tournament in Turkey (VIDEO)
A bout between Georgian and Ukrainian participants at the Yasar Dogu freestyle wrestling tournament in Turkey turned into a boxing fight which escalated into a huge mass brawl, with coaches and staff members involved.
A semifinal fight in the men’s under 79kg category between Georgian athlete Zurab Erbotsanashvili and Khasan Zakariev took an unexpected turn when traditional wrestling was replaced with a fierce fist fight on the mat.
The brutal scuffle broke out after the Ukranian slapped his opponent in the face provoking Erbotsanashvili to reply with several punches.
Zakariev’s coach who witnessed the brutal scenes was quick to react running onto the mat and knocking the Georgian rival onto the ground.
The duel quickly escalated into an uncontrollable mass brawl with members of both teams flooding the ring to ‘protect’ their participants.
The scuffle which interrupted the fight was stopped with the help of referees who were forced to interfere.
Both wrestlers prematurely finished their performances in Istanbul as they were disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct right after the incident.
