The golden rule of combat sports says “defend and protect yourself at all times.” Kickboxer Murthel Groenhart showed his opponent Harut Grigorian the repercussion of failing to do so. But it came at a big price.
The Dutch fighter, Groenhart, took on his Armenian rival, Grigorian, in the co-main event of the Glory 42 in Paris last year. The two kickboxers had a nip-and-tuck affair in the first round to open a highly-anticipated bout on a thrilling note.
Groenhart established a slim lead in the opening salvo as he notched a perfect 10 score from five judges. Grigorian, on the other hand, was not far from behind, tallying 9 points on the board.
The pride of Netherlands has kept his opponent at bay, but the fight could still go either way. Grigorian can still pull the rug from under Groenhart any time.
Cheap Shot?
But instead of turning the tables around, it was Grigorian who was caught off guard in the second round of the fight. Groenhart took this opportunity to seal the match.
After receiving a vicious uppercut and a knee to the face in the second round, Grigorian turned away from the referee and his opponent as he decided to stop fighting.
Thinking that the referee would end the match, the 28-year old Armenian made his way to his corner with his gloves down. Then, something he did not expect happened next.
Standing behind Grigorian, Groenhart landed him a massive right hook jaw, which caused him to collapse. As he sunk to the floor, blood started running all over his face – the only time the referee decided to wrap up the bout in favor of the Dutch.
Was it really a cheap shot?
Fans’ Disapproval
To celebrate this victory, Groenhart ran up to the ropes and raised his hands proudly in the air, much to the dismay of the crowd especially the supporters of Grigorian.
These furious spectators stormed Groenhart in the ring. Two angry fans were seen attacking him with solid punches, with one punch landing straight into his face.
Groenhart’s team quickly defend the kickboxer from the angry fans. The incident eventually calmed down as security personnel pulled these fans down the ring.
Watch the full video below:
See full match here: Groenhart vs. Grigorian – Glory 42
Despite the disapproval from the fans, the referee insisted that the knockout was legal and Groenhart fairly won the match.