Former UFC fighter Sasha Palatnikov couldn’t stop himself from tearing into the crowd after a controversial win at DBX 2.
It seemed as though Phil Hawes was pushing the issue and going for a big win in his debut for the Dirty Boxing Championship, which is owned by Mike Perry and Jon Jones. But a series of eye pokes saw Palatnikov severely injured and unable to see out of one eye.
As a result, the fight was called off and awarded to Palatnikov by way of disqualification. Hawes stormed out of the ring, while the winner was interviewed in the ring. Fans were outraged by the decision, and let their frustration be known, which set him off even further.
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Sasha Palatnikov rages after fans boo him for DQ win at DBX 2
Ultimately, it wasn’t down to Hawes or Palatnikov when the fight was called off by doctors, but it still left the crowd at Miami’s The Hangar frustrated. The former is a massive favorite with viewers, and after two wins in his pro boxing career after the UFC, he looked on a good track.
However, he seemed to fairly clearly – albeit accidentally – land a thumb directly in his opponent’s eyes in the MMA-style Dirty Boxing gloves, which allow for an open hand.
Palatnikov was interviewed shortly after the result, and tore into the fans who booed him as he was attempting to give a post-fight speech. “Boo me motherf—er,” he declared. “You ever been poked in the eye you p—- a– b—-?
“Yeah you f—ing p—-es, I’ll knock all you f—–s out. Yo, I came here to put on a show, this f—ing guy poked me in my eye, he got one good shot, I’ll give him credit but I’m a white boy, I mark up easy, I was ready to go to war and I was ready to break this fool.”
He then offered to immediately ‘run it back’ with Hawes on the next DBX event, which takes place in Miami on July 26.
Fans agree with Sasha Palatnikov after brutal post-fight interview
The clip of Palatnikov’s interview quickly went viral across social media, with many noting that he was right to be upset. They likened him to Henry Cejudo and Belal Muhammad, who both had to stop fights prematurely due to eye pokes.
“Real talk,” one viewer wrote. “Hate how they treated Cejudo and Belal. This dude could bend every single one of you boo-ers over.” Another added: “We need more mouthy White guys in combat sports, it just adds so much more hype.”
In fact, despite some claiming he had ‘crashed out’, Palatnikov seemed to have many social media users on board. One wrote: “Great to call these cowards out.”