A major brawl broke out in the crowd during Knuckle Mania 6 on Saturday night.
BKFC returned to Philadelphia for its sixth Knuckle Mania event, with the card topped by a heavyweight title fight.
Ben Rothwell was aiming to defend his belt against fellow UFC veteran Andrei Arlovski, who was only making his second appearance in bare-knuckle boxing.
Arlovski delivered an impressive showing, stopping Rothwell in the third round to claim the title and add another chapter to his long combat sports career.
Viral brawl erupts in crowd as Conor McGregor responds
Fights breaking out among the crowd are nothing new at combat sports events, and Saturday was no exception.
At Knuckle Mania 6, fans got into a massive fight, with one even taking off his belt to use as a weapon.
It is still unclear what started the chaos. Several people were involved in the scuffle, with punches being thrown before security tried to step in.
Another spectator brandished his belt as a weapon, encouraged by others in the crowd who yelled: “BTA! BTA! BTA!”
A fan who filmed the incident provided some context for why it started. According to them, it began because someone was speaking badly about John Garbarino, a fighter who had a strong following at the event.
Garbarino had already made headlines during weigh-ins by hitting his opponent with a giant cannoli and then falling off the stage.
While Conor McGregor was not present at Knuckle Mania 6, he did respond on Instagram: “Listen, it happens. Referee it. No weapons or gloves.”
The brawl broke out before the first fight of the night even took place but did not slow down what turned into an exciting evening of action inside the ring.
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