Screenshot: Twitter.

Being a Referee Sometimes Leaves You Open to Getting Caught in the Middle… That’s What Happened to One Unfortunate Official in Thailand This Weekend…

Being a referee in any sport is a tough game. In combat sports, they’re arguably the most exposed because, including the two fighters, there are only three people in the ring or cage. This means that they have the best seat in the house, but also under pressure because every movement will be scrutinised.

It’s the job of a referee to keep fighters safe from themselves, preventing them from receiving excessive punishment and making sure that nobody is committing fouls that could put their opponent’s health at serious risk. A good referee will put himself on the line, to dive in and prevent a downed fighter taking more damage.

That’s what happened in Thailand this weekend when a referee found himself on the receiving end of a brutal kick. Watch the sensational footage below. It’s truly hilarious.

Accident

First of all, this is obviously an accident. Gou Dakui is a Chinese Muay Thai fighter who was competing on Saturday’s Max Muay Thai Card. He took on Thailand’s Super x Sitsontidech and proceeded to unleash a devastating beating in front of his hometown crowd, winning by second-round TKO.

After putting together a devastating sequence that left his opponent stunned, Dakui let loose with a devastating roundhouse kick. However, he didn’t count for the referee moving in right at that moment, and he caught the hapless official with a vicious boot to the face, immediately dropping him.

Screenshot: Twitter.

Surreal

It was a crazy way for the fight to end. The referee went down clutching his face in a way that makes us think his nose was shattered by the bone-crushing kick. There was some confusion before finally a different referee was called upon to wave off the fight, after judging that Super X could not continue, giving Dakui the TKO victory.

Dakui was able to establish himself using his jab and hooks to open up Super X, who had found early success with his leg and front kicks. The Chinese fighter definitely didn’t count on his name going all around the internet before this one. Maybe people should knock out the referee more often.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSi6lNaRETg

Attack

Despite being one of the most dramatic and insane things that can happen during a combat sports event, most fighters have the discipline not to deliberately do anything stupid involving the referee. Of course, now and again there are exceptions. We’ve seen Roy Nelson toepoke ‘Big’ John McCarthy for a late stoppage in the past.

In 2017, a German fighter called Nihad Nasufovic thumped the referee with a massive right-hook after he failed to intervene when Nasufovic got in a tight chokehold on his opponent, forcing the German fighter to let go himself. This sort of thing happens in combat sports.

Then you have the likes of the insane incident between Marc Goddard and Conor McGregor when the Irishman shoved the English referee at a Bellator MMA event. Who would want to be the man in black?

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