The promoter behind MMA's 'biggest mismatch' fight has spoken out about the controversial event. Watch the fight below:
By now, you've probably seen the footage of Craig Wood going up against welterweight fighter Aron Leo at the Evolution of Combat event in Glasgow, Scotland, back in September 2021.
Wood, a 21-year-old 'journeyman', took the fight at short notice after Craig Knight pulled out hours before the contest.
However, fans and experts criticised the promoter for allowing Wood, who was much smaller and seemingly much more inexperienced than Leo, to get in the cage.
A photo was shared on social media this week, showing the two men standing side by side after Wood had been comprehensively beaten by Leo within the first 15 seconds of the fight, sparked the controversy.
After the picture was posted on Twitter, many people commented to ask how the fight had been given the green light.
Sharing the snap to his page, MMA writer Harry Williams asked: "Can we please find out who allowed this fight to go ahead? I know there’s journeymen, but there’s a line, surely."
Replying to his post, a spectator shared a video of the bout, and it wasn't pretty,
Despite throwing a couple of kicks, Wood is quickly sent tumbling to the canvas after receiving a combo from his opponent.
He then receives a couple more blows as he lies on the ground before the referee eventually steps in to put an end to it.
And now, the promoter behind the event has come out and said they 'regret' allowing the fight to go ahead.
In a post to its Facebook page, a spokesperson for Evolution of Combat MMA said: "We strive to try and match as evenly matched bouts as possible, as some great encounters have proved on 10 different EoC shows.
"This particular show had many last minute pull outs. We also had staff shortages.
"Sometimes using journeymen is the only way a show can still go ahead and we are grateful to them for that as many other promotions are.
"This particular last minute replacement was pulled in with less than 24hrs notice, the name used on all run sheets, etc. was the one given to EOC the evening before. This ensured the Icelandic amateur could still make a showing.
"We as a promotion regret that this matchup happened with such a size discrepancy and looking back would not make the same decision. We can, however, say that two consenting men chose to step into the octagon to compete and both walked out healthy.
"Since this event we have ran another event with a different outlook and look to ensure we keep good standards 100 percent of the time from now on."
After being criticised on social media for not looking the part in terms of his physique, Wood hit back.
He said: "I'll let ya in on something, I'm in a lot better shape than I look."
Featured Image Credit: Twitter
Dominic Smithers