GLORY Kickboxing CEO Jon J. Franklin has stated that the ISKA will be monitoring the legal situation, following the events on Saturday night in Paris which saw two fans enter the ring and attack GLORY fighter, Murthel Groenhart.
Despite GLORY 42 being a relatively solid show, top to bottom for the premier kickboxing organisation, the success of the event has been majorly overshadowed by a serious incident during the co-headline bout between Groenhart and Harut Grigorian.
“If you watch the fight, [Grigorian] actually turned his back and Murthel takes the shot. So whilst legal under the rules, supported by the ISKA, that’s what got fans riled up,” explained Franklin on the cause of the GLORY 42 fan attack.
Following Groenhart’s morally controversial knockout, two fans — presumed to be supporters of Harut — stormed the ring, attacking Groenhart. Groenhart has since confirmed he is not seriously injured, with Franklin also reporting that the doctors had a thorough check of the Dutchman after the incident.
He added: “Good news, Murthel went to the doctors and they say there is no broken jaw, perfect bite so it isn’t a lasting damage.”
Franklin mentioned to MMA Plus that both GLORY and ISKA are closely monitoring the situation and will “take appropriate course of action” following findings from the relevant French authority.
“I’m told they know who the guys are. The authority take it from here and the ISKA will be monitoring the situation.”
GLORY CEO Jon J. Franklin told me last night they would "take appropriate course of action." Statement says they will file complaint Monday https://t.co/r7JHbMc6PS
— Michael Stets (@Michael_Stets) June 11, 2017
Currently, the lead suspect is believed to be Armenian MMA fighter Hracho Darpinyan.
On Monday morning, GLORY Kickboxing released an official statement claiming they are pursuing prosecution the individuals involved.
The GLORY CEO also reacted to France’s Cedric Doumbe successfully defending his welterweight GLORY title, defeating Nieky Holzken for the second time.
Franklin opened up about the rise of their champion: “Cedric deserves the passion. He is always smiling, having fun. This time for the first two rounds, for the first time, he was a little tight. But in the third round it was the Cedric Doumbe of the last fight.”
The pair first fought at GLORY Collision last December and ever since winning the GLORY crown, Doumbe’s potential has only grown stronger.
“He is a star. He’s got the personality, he makes people happy, got a big smile. He makes the crowd have fun, which for us, is a great thing.”
