» Video: Fighter Gets Beaten by Fans
At HOOKnSHOOT’s Grand Prix in March 2006, a fighter named Jason Bryant celebrated his submission win over Scottie Newton by taking over the mic and mouthing off to the crowd. It was an innocent bit of heel-play that went terribly wrong, as one fan made like he wanted to shake Bryant’s hand, then pulled him off the entrance ramp and started beating on him. The other fans around them responded by freaking out and throwing punches at whoever was closest. Bryant actually had to fight again later that night in the tournament’s semi-final, where he lost to Heath Pedigo. The best part is that HOOKnSHOOT is apparently using this regrettable episode to promote Bryant’s appearance at their September 27th event. Because at a two-bit local show, anything can happen! Evansville, what!
When Fans Cross the Line
Heel tactics are part of the entertainment in combat sports, but this incident from a 2006 HOOKnSHOOT event showed how quickly it can go wrong when there is little security between fighters and the crowd. Smaller regional shows in those years often had fighters walking to the cage through the audience with minimal protection.
Major promotions now use barriers, dedicated security teams and controlled walkouts, and athletic commissions in many U.S. states require event security plans, partly because of incidents like this one.