Troy Gibson earned his first win the hard way.
The Irish welterweight had a memorable pro debut this past Saturday at a Cage Conflict event in Belfast, Northern Ireland, picking up a disqualification victory after opponent Vadim Kolesnikov struck him with multiple illegal knees to the head as they grappled on the ground.
View the footage above of infractions, courtesy Severe MMA
Gibson is seen trying to keep his top position, while looking for angle from which to land elbows. Kolesknikov takes control of Gibson’s left wrist, and starts to slam Gibson with his knees. Under The Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, knees to the head of a grounded opponent are prohibited, and both fighters are clearly grounded in this instance.
Despite repeated violations, the referee didn’t immediately intervene. The action eventually returned to the feet, where Kolesnikov continued to press Gibson until the referee intervened. According to official results, Gibson was awarded a victory via first-round disqualification.
It’s unclear if Kolesnikov was initially under the impression that he won the fight. The fight was stopped by the Latvian fighter who appeared to be aggravated at the jeers of the crowd.
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