Former UFC fighter James Vick was on the improper finish of one of many scariest fight sports activities knockouts you’ll ever see at Karate Fight 47 this previous Friday night time.
Vick was knocked unconscious by a change kick from Rafael Alves, capping off one of many craziest occasions in promotional historical past. Vick was out chilly for fairly a while earlier than being despatched to the hospital, however stories started to flow into about how dangerous issues truly acquired for Vick after that kick.
Karate Fight president Asim Zaidi gave his response, and likewise offered readability on the scenario.
“I’ll inform you this: The occasion, this was alleged to be an occasion for our prospects, kind of a filler occasion, a smaller Karate Fight to arrange our greater exhibits,” Zaidi advised MMA Preventing. “It was going so nicely, and simply every thing about it was simply so electrifying and ideal — even the entire brawl, strangle incident was hilarious. The group was chanting, they’d a good time with it. Nobody acquired harm. It labored out in a really optimistic method, every thing was joyful, and at that second when James Vick acquired knocked out, I may now not be joyful.
“It actually sucked as a result of it was probably the most profitable exhibits, bought out crowd, everyone seems to be cheering. I may have went residence and had a really nice night time and have fun an exquisite occasion, and I couldn’t as a result of my coronary heart was damaged as a result of it was such a tricky knockout. It’s laborious for me to look at the video. It truly is like once I see the video of that knockout, it isn’t simple to look at. I cringe watching it and, it was simply as dangerous as every thing [that’s been] stated.
“Sure, he was KO’d, he was out for some time. We didn’t present it on the published, however he seized. They took him into the ambulance, he wanted assist respiration, they put some tubes for some respiration. It’s laborious for me to speak about it, , however thank God he recovered and every thing is ok.”
Vick’s UFC run ended with 4 straight losses, together with three knockouts by Justin Gaethje, Dan Hooker, and Niko Price, after which was stopped by Andre Fialho in his first battle exterior of the octagon for XMMA. The 37-year-old pivoted to the boxing world the place he picked up consecutive knockout wins, after which tried his hand within the Karate Fight pit, going 1-2 with all three fights going to the scorecards.
After 14 months out of the promotion, Vick returned and suffered the jaw-dropping knockout. Regardless of the aftermath, and the scary nature of the scenario, “President Superior” says that when Vick regained consciousness and began speaking in regards to the battle, he appeared to have a grasp of how issues went down as soon as he put the items collectively.
Whereas that’s all nicely and good, Zaidi wouldn’t prefer to see Vick competing once more — for Karate Fight, or anyplace else.
“He awakened and I went to go go to him and what’s loopy is I used to be there proper when he awakened and, he’s like, ‘Man, what did I mess up? What did he hit me with? And I stated, ‘He hit you with a change kick,’” Zaidi stated. “He’s like, ‘Oh, he went low, then went excessive,’ I stated, ‘Yeah, one kick went to your leg, one went to your head. He’s like, ‘Oh I dropped my fingers once I checked the kick.’ He understood every thing, man. So we’re speaking about strategical errors instantly when he awakened, which made me really feel so significantly better and confirmed how confirmed how conscious he’s.
“Thank God he’s good now, he’s been discharged, he’s residence, and he can hopefully, take a break and I’d not prefer to see him within the pit once more. … “I hate to say it and I I don’t wish to to sound heartless, however I simply can’t deliver him again to Karate Fight, and I don’t suppose he ought to battle once more. I hate to say that as a result of he’s a warrior. However he has an exquisite faculty, he coaches many, many wonderful gifted younger fighters. I feel it’s time to say, hey, that’s my path and that’s what I’m going to go on to, and he was profitable, man. There’s a time the place he was 9-1 within the UFC. So he was a profitable dude, and I feel that a part of his life is over and now it’s time to give attention to his wonderful abilities and college students that he has.”
Zaidi hopes that Vick will seem as a coach and cornerman for his fighters for years to return, and can also be open to Vick being a part of the Karate Fight broadcast crew.
However when requested the place Vick’s coronary heart was at, Zaidi stated that there appeared to be no indicators of him eager to stroll away from competitors.
“He talked about the alternative,” Zaidi defined. “He truly stated he wished to return again. He truly advised one of many Karate Fight employees that he wished to battle once more. I didn’t wish to even discuss to him about that, and it’s simply, it’s not going to occur. It’s simply, I can’t enable that to occur for his personal security and I feel he he has an incredible thoughts within the sport and may discover different nice avenues to achieve success to create, and additional his legacy.”
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