Patricky Freire is out of the Karate Combat 61 main event after suffering a cut in a brawl involving members of opponent Shahzaib Rind’s entourage.
Karate Combat 61 is scheduled for tomorrow night in Miami, and was originally set to be headlined by Shahzaib Rind vs. Patricky Freire. Following the incident, Freire is no longer cleared to compete. Karate Combat has not yet commented on the incident or the lineup change.
Freire described a tense scene leading up to the altercation. “There was that altercation yesterday, and his friends already showed up prepared today. They started throwing water at us during breakfast. It was me, Patricio, and our wives. Patricio asked them to stop, he said we were with our family, and they kept going.”
“I stood up and threw a bottle of water at them,” Freire said, adding, “They ran off and I chased them. When we got outside, a brawl broke out and I was the one who got hurt. They came throwing water and there were already people recording. It was all set up. These guys were the ones protecting him before the weigh-ins.”
Freire also vented his frustration over the situation, calling it “What a f*cking coward move,” as the fallout leaves Karate Combat 61 without its original headliner amid ongoing references to recent nonpayment issues involving the promotion.
