Combat sports can be brutal, even for referees.
It takes mental strength and an ability to withstand physical punishment to step inside a ring but the risks involved for those tasked with keeping order is often overlooked.
Scott Manhardt was handed refereeing duties in the 2022 MMA Super Cup semi-final clash between Team Ireland and Team Mexico and ended up getting more than he bargained for.
The highly anticipated fight between Ireland’s Lewis Byrne and Mexico’s Luis Gonzalez was expected to be a high-octane affair and it didn’t disappoint as the momentum shifted between the two fighters.
However, as the second round drew to a close Gonzalez attempted a flamboyant rolling thunder kick.
Whilst the kick was pretty well executed, his intended target Byrne could only watch on as Manhardt felt the full force of the kick to his head, resulting in a savage knock down.
For many, the incident would have spelled the end of proceedings but not for the warrior-like Mandhardt who impressively got back up and continued refereeing for the remaining round of the fight.
As per procedure, Manhardt underwent a post-fight medical and was given the all clear after what was an epic blow to the head.
If it proved anything at all, it’s that referees also hold a degree of toughness that should not go unnoticed.
As for the fight, Byrne reigned supreme having won by unanimous decision but things may have been very different had he been the recipient of the kick and not the referee.
Byrne went on to lead Team Ireland to the final of the MMA Super Cup where they faced nation Team Bahrain who edged past Kazakhstan in the other semi-final.
But Ireland’s luck ran out as they were comprehensively beaten 9-0 which saw Bahrain claim the $100,000 prize in style, remaining undefeated.
The inaugural tournament concluded with a jubilant and victorious home crowd after all eight teams had battled it out for the biggest prizes ever awarded in amateur MMA.
The Super Cup pitted MMA’s top teams in a three-round, knock-out tournament with huge cash prizes at stake.
The money was directed towards funding the development of the next generation of MMA athletes within the winning nations.
The teams on show included Arab Champions, Balkan Champions, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Oceania Champions, Ireland and Tajikistan.
Each team fielded nine athletes and each team match consisted of nine bouts between the fighters of each of male and female weight divisions with the team that recorded the most wins in a nations’ match, declared the winner.