What happened after MFN 9 in Delhi? Everything you need to know

The incidents which took place after Matrix Fight Night 9 are making headlines all over the country. We will be trying to compile all the reactions and comments from related parties in this article to give a picture of what went down.

What happened after Matrix Fight Night 9?

The Afghan fans who were in attendance at the event caused problems after the fight between Seth Rosario and Zahoor Shah and posed threat to fighters and officials at the venue. They also caused damage to the venue as per videos that are circulated by the fans themselves.  

The videos posted by the Afghan fans as stories on their social media pages showed the Afghan fans attacking Srikant Sekhar and running behind him till, he is taken away by the Police for protection. It also showed the fans giving death threats to Srikant. Srikant suffered a broken jaw during the whole chaos and is expected to be out of action for months.

How is Abdul Azim Badakhshi involved?

Afghan MMA Fighter Abdul Azim Badakhshi reportedly sucker-punched and attacked Srikant Sekhar outside the cage after the Seth Rosario vs. Zahoor Shah fight. This is as per multiple people that were present at the venue and Srikant Sekhar himself.  

The action from Badakhshi, as per statements, triggered the fans as well which in turn lead to the whole fiasco. We have reached out to Abdul Azim Badakhshi for a statement and is awaiting a response on the same. An FIR is expected to be filed against the fighter as per sources.

What triggered the Afghan fans?

As per comments made by Afghan fans that were in attendance, they were offended by Indian MMA Fighter Srikant Sekhar who as per comments, showed middle finger to the crowd in attendance and allegedly abused women and Afghanistan (The latter was denied by Srikant).

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There were also claims by the Afghan fans that the stoppage of Seth Rosario vs. Zahoor Shah happened after the round was finished. Some fans also commented that the post-fight speech made by Srikant after his win over Sumeet Khade was a reason as well.

What is the response of Srikant Sekhar?

"I was jumping up and down as Seth was having his fight with Zahoor. Before that I called out Zahoor and told him “F*ck you" in front of all the Afghanis. All Indians shouted and all the Afghanis kept quiet. Then they waited for Seth's match. Then Seth was beating Zahoor up. I was jumping because he is my teammate. Zahoor was getting beaten up and these guys couldn't take it as Indian crown started roaring.

At the same time the guys (Afghanis) behind me threw bottles at me and I turned back and they were mocking me. Because I think they didn't like me and at the same to time Zahoor was also losing. They couldn't take it.

Then I ignored that fact and I started cheering for Seth as he was getting the finish and again someone from the crown threw paper garbage or plastic at me and were showing middle fingers and looking at me and pointing me out and mocking me.

I got pissed on this bunch and said them fuck you and flipped back. Then one official caught my hand and was taking me out of cage side. He said "go out of here, this crowd is getting mad at you" and started escorting me out of the ringside.

I was going out with him and out of nowhere, I get sucker-punched by Abdul Badakshi from behind. I didn't even see him coming neither I knew where he was. He hit me twice and I fell Down. As I was on the floor, I saw officials pushing him and covering me up. Then the crowd breaks into the arena and starts stomping me.

The officials and my teammates tried to protect me and they got beaten in the process. They told me to get away from the crowd. I went out and my team mate told me to run because there were 70, 80 people running behind me.

They were chasing me with bricks and rods for a kilometer. Near the exit there was a cop car, I jumped into the car and they threw bricks on the car and spit on me. They even hit the car. Then the police car somehow escaped the mob and I was saved,” Srikant noted in an exclusive statement.

What is the response of Abdul Azim Badakhshi?

We have reached out to Abdul Azim Badakhshi for a statement and are awaiting a response.

What is the condition of Srikant Sekhar now?

Srikant suffered a broken jaw as a result of the assault which had to be fixed at the hospital. He will be out of action for months now but promises a strong comeback.

What is the stand of MFN on this?

Matrix Fight Night’s Ayesha Shroff noted that Afghan fighters will no longer be allowed in the MFN fight card after what happened at MFN 9. Coach Alan Fenandes shared a similar emotion as he shared the comment from Ayesha Shroff and noted that the ‘mandate is out, we stand by our boss’. He further noted that the Afghan fighters being banned from the promotion is 100% confirmed.

“That’s the last time an Afghan fighter features on an MFN card,” Ayesha Shroff noted.

GAMMAF’s Daniel Isaac cleared the air surrounding the Timer issues and noted that there was a difference between the time that was tracked by the timekeeper and the time which was shown on the broadcast screen which caused the confusion. There were also stoppages by the referee in between fight which resulted in a mismatch of the timings on the screen and the one with the timekeeper.

MFN’s Krishna Shroff had a different stand on the issue and noted that banning the fighters might not be the right way to handle the situation and that the fans should be held responsible in a comment. She also pointed out that Zahoor Shah was all-class after his loss to Seth.

What Afghan fans and fighter had to say about this?

Some fans backed the violence on Srikant and the chaos caused by the fans in attendance at the event. They claimed that Srikant should not have abused the crowd, another section of the fans have spoken up claiming that the entire country cannot be blamed for the action of a few.

WATCH: Jojo Rajkumari lands huge KO against Mary Jane at MFN 9

Some Afghan fighters have also come forward claiming that the actions of a few people should not cost them their opportunities: an emotion which was shared by some Indian MMA fans as well in the comment section.

What Indian Fans and Fighters had to say about this?

A major portion of the Indian MMA community is standing firmly behind Srikant Sekhar and has appreciated the move from Ayesha Shroff to restrict Afghan fighters. Some fans shared their trauma of not being safe in their own country. The violence that was triggered was condemned by everyone.

Some fans echoed that the entire Afghan community should not be persecuted for the action of a few people that caused issues. Some comments suggested that more security should have been there at the event to control the situation.

What are your thoughts on the entire issue? Let us know in the comments below.

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