WATCH: Grenade launcher EXPLODES at Sambo competition in Russian occupied Ukraine city
Amid international tensions, a Sambo competition in Ukraine witnessed an unexpected explosion, leaving attendees unharmed but raising concerns about safety and the impact of conflict on sports events.
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Explosion at a Sambo competition in Ukraine (Image via: X)
The MMA community always takes a stand when conflicts happen internationally. As such, fighters have publicly stated their allegiance in matters like the Israeli-Palestinian war and the Ukrainian-Russian war. The combat sports community of a nation has stood by their country in the aforementioned wars. Recently, an unfortunate incident happened at a Sambo competition
The Sambo competition was in a Russian-occupied city in Ukraine. As the match proceeded, a grenade launcher hit the walls of the building where the competition happened. The explosion happened just when one of the fighters in the match took his opponent down. No harm came to the fighters as the explosion happened meters away from the Sambo mat.
The video of the explosion went viral on social media. The location of the unfortunate incident was a Sports Facility in Ukraine’s Melitopol. BJJEE.com reported that Ivan Fedorov, head of Military Administration in the area, confirmed the explosion. Fedorov clarified that the explosion happened due to accidental discharge. Nonetheless, there are no reports of an official arrest.
The incident happened on February 17. Fortunately, no severe harm happened as the attendees at the event only suffered minor damages. The grenade that caused the explosion was from an anti-tank grenade launcher.
Fight fans react to the explosion at a Sambo Competition in Ukraine
The video of the explosion at a Sambo tournament in Russia-occupied Ukraine went viral on social media. There have been several videos of explosions from war-torn Ukraine that went viral. However, this particular explosion happened amidst an active combat sports competition.
Fight fans had varied responses to the explosion. Some found it very disturbing but others were more empathetic to it. Moreover, some were very concerned about the well-being of the athletes, officials, and attendees. Nonetheless, see how fight fans reacted to the video below.
The Russia-Ukraine war has deeply impacted the world of combat sports. Many fight promotions like GLORY Kickboxing banned Russian fighters from competing. However, UFC CEO Dana White was not in favor of it. Nonetheless, the UFC banned athletes from using their national flag in the octagon. The main reason for the ban was Russian athletes. White revoked the ban after seeing Mexicans’ patriotism during the UFC Noche Fight Week in 2023, which Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko headlined.
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