Serbian MMA national team member Nemanja Blagojević, the previous European and world champion, won a silver medal at the European MMA Championship, but the way the final ended caused great dissatisfaction in the sports public.
Blagojević dominated throughout the entire tournament, and was particularly impressive in the group semi-final, where he quickly defeated the Bulgarian fighter by choking him in the first round. However, the final match in the group against Ukrainian competitor Volodymyr Shreban ended in an atmosphere of controversy and an incomprehensible referee decision, which caused numerous polemics.
The Serbian fighter was superior in all aspects of the fight – in the stand-up he landed precise blows, in the wrestling exchanges he was more dominant, and in the ground he held control for two rounds, inflicting over fifteen blows on his opponent from the “side” control. However, although the opponent did not defend himself, the fight was not stopped.
The fight was stopped somewhat later due to bleeding from the Ukrainian fighter’s nose, and only during the second round, although the blood was first noticed between the first and second rounds, when Shreban wiped his nose and left a mark on his jersey.
Although Blagojević was dominant in all segments of the fight, and convincingly led the fight according to the judges’ scorecards, due to the newly created situation, the match was declared without a winner, which later allowed the Ukrainian fighter to win gold according to the scoring system in the group.
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A new rule, applied at this championship, stipulates the interruption of the fight in case of the appearance of blood that is not the result of illegal blows, and the annulment of the fight, or the declaration of the fight without a winner. Such a decision is treated as a “No Contest”, which means that the match is not formally counted as either a victory or a defeat.
Such a decision caused a sharp reaction from the expert staff of the MMA Association of Serbia, which filed a protest note and requested an official review of the decision.
-This kind of epilogue casts a shadow on the entire tournament and sends a bad message to the MMA community, which has been working for years to promote sportsmanship and fair play. Nemanja Blagojević is, by all accounts, a true champion and deserved the gold – the Association said.
Regardless of the unusual situation, Blagojević once again proved that he is one of the best fighters in the world. His performance at this championship remains an example of fighting spirit, professionalism and true champion spirit.
Although the gold slipped away from him due to a controversial decision, Blagojević’s path and the way he dominated in all fights clearly show that he is a true champion. His fight does not end here – on the contrary, he continues to write the history of Serbian and world MMA, while the MMA community eagerly awaits his next performance.
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Source: Kurir, Photo: MMA Savez Srbije MMASS