Large contingents of Badr Hari and Arkadiusz Wrzosek supporters made their presence at the Trixxo Arena in Hasselt (Belgium).
Expectations for the rematch were high following a legendary first fight between the two men back in September 2021.
On that occasion, Poland’s Wrzosek recovered from three early knockdowns to produce a devastating head kick in the second round and claim a historic comeback victory.
This Saturday night, the two men entered the ring for the fight of the Glory 80 event.
Hari enjoyed a strong opening round, but was knocked to the canvas in the second after enduring a brutal flying knee. The Moroccan legend got up to his feet and made it though the round as fans anticipated a thrilling finale.
Instead, the third round never got going following the breakout of a riot outside the ring. Chair swere thrown and panic ensued as security lost all control of the situation.
Glory 80 munt uit in een massale vechtpartij tussen Legia/DenHaag hooligans en Badr Army. Vanavond 19.03.2022!#GLORY80 #ultrassnl #ultras #BadrHari #legia pic.twitter.com/UnLOVZXLxa
— Ultrassnl (@ultrassnl) March 19, 2022
The fight was initially halted before an announcement confirmed the cancellation of the bout – and ultimately the show.
There was also a large number of Hari’s supporters – known as “Badr Army” – who followed the 37-year-old kickboxing and MMA legend to Belgium.
It is still unclear what instigated the riot, however a statement from Glory Kickboxing read:
“GLORY deeply regrets that GLORY80 was interrupted by people exhibiting unsafe behaviour. We never condone or accept behaviour that endangers other fans that come to our events to enjoy a night of top sport.”
“Upon the request of the police in the city of Hasselt, we stopped the event after the 2nd round of Hari – Wrzosek. We apologize to the fans who did not get to see the end of this bout and the Ben Saddik – Rigters matchup.”
“Also to the athletes who trained so hard and did not get to compete. Martial arts is a sport of respect and fair competition inside and outside of the ring.”
