Tensions boiled over at the PFL Brussels ceremonial faceoffs on Friday when welterweights Khamzat Abaev and Luca Poclit sparked a wild scuffle on stage at ING Arena.
Punches were thrown after Abaev and Poclit squared up, with Abaev initiating contact by shoving Poclit's hands and launching a kick in the air. The confrontation quickly escalated beyond the two scheduled opponents.
PFL matchmaker Dan Hardy was caught in the chaos, struck in the face by Poclit's hand and nearly losing his glasses as he stepped in to separate the fighters. After Hardy intervened, haymakers were thrown by two opposing team members as the teams clashed.
Abaev, 5-1 as a professional, and Poclit, who holds a 10-2 record, are still scheduled to meet in a welterweight preliminary bout Saturday at ING Arena under the PFL banner.
