WATCH! The referee goes down after taking brutally clean shot from fighter

Amidst all the drama regarding Antonio Plazibat, Tariq Osaro and Rico Verhoeven, the man getting hit in the ring happened to be the Referee.


WATCH! The referee goes down after taking brutally clean shot from fighter

Antonio Plazibat punches referee by mistake (Image credits: NBC news)

It’s not often that you see the referee of a fight being hit instead of the opponent. Obviously, there is always a slight chance of this happening. This is due to the fact that the referee is the only person within punching distance in the ring or octagon.

During the GLORY Collision 5 main event of the company Glory kickboxing, such a rarity occurred due to unforeseen circumstances. During his main-event fight with Tariq Osaro at GLORY Collision 5, Antonio Plazibat unintentionally dropped referee Edward Strijkert with a vicious right hand at the conclusion of round two. When the bell rang, Plazibat and Osaro were trading blows against the ropes in the final moments of the round. Strijkert jumped in to separate the opponents, but he took a late punch from Plazibat that sent him to the ground.

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The main event between Antonio Plazibat and Tariq Osaro for the vacant heavyweight title was a much-awaited fight for the division. It involved months of social media promotions and analysis by kickboxing fans around the world.

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It’s safe to say that months of preparation from both sides did not expect anyone to get the referee hit in the ring.

Related: “Free Ubereem” – Fans react as former UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem tests positive for banned substances after his fight at Glory Kickboxing

Antonio Plazibat chances for a potential fight against Verhoeven drop drastically

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Glory officially announced that Plazibat would face Rico Verhoeven for the Glory Heavyweight Championship during a press conference on January 12, 2023. The bout was originally scheduled for spring but was postponed when Verhoeven injured his knee while practising.

Antonio Plazibat instead competed for the interim Glory Heavyweight Championship against Kevin Tariq Osaro. Osaro is the winner of the Glory Four-Man Heavyweight Tournament at Glory: Collision 5. In a recent interview with ‘sporf.com’, Antonio Plazibat was asked whether he would be ready to fight Verhoeven to build on his legacy. Plazibat states that he has tried making that fight happen with no success and also says, “Right now, it feels like he’s running from me”.

Plazibat hoped the fight would become a reality if he won against Tariq Osaro In ‘Collision 5’. Plazibat mentioned in the same interview that he plans to end the fight with a TKO within the first three rounds. The chances of the fight happening would’ve increased if Plazibat won the fight against Osaro, but unfortunately, Osaro made a huge upset by winning the main event. This could prove detrimental for Plazibat.

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