Georgi Karakhanyan Finally Gives his Account of The Madness At ACB 90
Georgi Karakhanyan a former Bellator fighter was given a disqualification win at ACB90, but two weeks later the promotion decided to change this to a no contest, which they released via their social media :
ACB’s claims that a panel made up of promotion’s staff made the decision to change the outcome of the contest. Check the incident below and make your own mind up??
What just happened in the Karakhanyan fight at ACB? Looked like Dean stopped the fight (with no tap?) and then Nagibin kept going. Karakhanyan wins by DQ. #ACB90 pic.twitter.com/gckLnTDKse
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) November 10, 2018
Now 2 weeks after the event Karakhanyan has released his side of things and the meeting with ACB officials :
After ACB put out on social media that I have been “fired” from their promotion, I feel it necessary to inform the fans and media as to exactly what happened.
ACB has stated that I have breached my promotional agreement, specifically clause 5(g) which states: “Follow on moral standards of behavior; do not allow offensive words or moves to any of fighters or other visitors of the tournament, press conferences, personal of hotels, restaurants and other places.” To be clear, I did not and do not condone the actions of the fans in attendance at ACB 90. I understand that my fan base is very passionate, but the fighting should be left to myself and my opponent. Furthermore, I did nothing to incite the riot. I was illegally struck after Herb Dean had stopped the bout and after the round had ended. If anything, my opponent’s actions were the cause for the riot in the crowd.
As for my actions at the weigh-ins and leading up to the bout with the media, I was instructed by ACB officials to continuously talk trash about my opponent. I was informed that our fight was gaining a lot of recognition and to keep adding fuel to the fire. I said things that were on par with other fighters in other promotions and in those situations, not one person has ever been “fired”. My opponent told ACB officials I said things that I did not say, that in my opinion, would have been crossing the line. Maybe he did this as an excuse for his actions after the bout. Either way, bring someone’s family into it is one thing I would consider off-limits. I grew up in Russia and know certain boundaries exist.
ACB is claiming to have changed the outcome of the fight from a Win by Disqualification to a No Contest. This is the issue that infuriates me the most. We as fighters, rely on referees, judges, and commissions to determine the outcome of events in situations like this. I believed my opponent tapped with the hand that was underneath my back. I informed Herb Dean who then subsequently placed his hand on my opponent and I let go of the guillotine choke. As the stoppage and round ending were almost simultaneous, I was discussing with Herb whether or not the fight was over or going into the second round. My opponent prevented the latter from happening. This wasn’t a close fight in which a split decision or outcome could have been seen differently, as has been the case in One and WFCA. No promotion has changed this type of outcome. It was either a submission victory or a disqualification. Plain and simple.
But what followed after the bout back at the hotel is what I believe everyone should know. I was called to collect my pay for the bout. In a hotel room, I was scolded, belittled and insulted by Yaragi Gitaev, the President of ACB, in front of other ACB officials. This promotion, through its officials, decided to mock me instead of paying me my win bonus. He called me an actor, said I should have been able to continue and said I have no heart. When I demanded my win bonus, he laughed at me. What triggered this “hearing” was my demand through my management company for my win bonus to be paid within one week of my demand or we would have held ACB in breach of the promotional agreement. Everyone can now see what ACB decided to do instead of paying me what was rightfully owed.
I have been a professional mixed martial artist for over 12 years, I’ve competed in nearly 40 professional MMA bouts, I have fought for many major MMA organizations, and have never encountered such blatant disrespect from anyone or any organization as I have with ACB. To refer to my actions as “trying to cheat…” is the most disrespectful thing someone could say to anyone who has dedicated themselves to martial arts as I have. To my Russian fans, I am sorry I won’t likely be competing in Russia anytime soon unless it is for another organization that has a legitimate commission structure and/or policies in place. I hope this statement serves as a notice to anyone considering competing for ACB as to what they should expect and can only imagine what it will be like under new ownership. Now that I am a free agent, I look forward to the new challenges that await me.