MMA star Ali Heibati has been banned from the Hardcore Fighting Championship (HFC) for life after a series of controversial incidents before and after his main event bout against Arkady Osipyan at Hardcore MMA 90 in Moscow.
Before the fight began, Heibati bizarrely kicked a ring girl as she walked past holding up a card signaling the start of round one. The woman confronted Heibati, leading to an exchange of words before the referee intervened.
Despite his behavior, Heibati was allowed to fight, but the contest was short-lived as Osipyan stopped him with strikes in the first round. After Osipyan celebrated, Heibati struck him in the back of the head.
A brawl involving multiple HFC fighters erupted, resulting in lifetime bans for Heibati and others involved. Heibati apologized in an awkward video with the ring girl, but the HFC deemed his apology insufficient.
The HFC condemned Heibati’s actions in a statement, emphasizing that assaulting staff and acting disrespectfully towards women is unacceptable. They also announced that Heibati will be fined with the proceeds going to the ring girl.
