A heated confrontation erupted at the AIGA Champions League final following a controversial finish between Diego Pato and his Dagestani opponent, resulting in a chaotic scene that required intervention from security and officials.
The incident occurred during Pato’s match when his opponent appeared to tap to a heel hook but then continued grappling after Pato briefly paused to look at the referee. According to commentary, the Dagestani “taps to a heel hook but pretends he didn’t after Pato pauses to look at the Ref.”
Pato, believing his opponent had submitted, continued applying pressure to the heel hook until his opponent screamed in pain. In the heat of the moment, Pato then confronted his opponent, shouting something like “didn’t you tap?” directly to his face.
The situation quickly escalated when the Dagestani grappler’s coach took offense to Pato’s post-match conduct and pushed him. This prompted an immediate response from Matheus Diniz, who pushed the coach back, sparking what witnesses described as a “small brawl” involving multiple team members.
Community reactions highlighted the dangerous nature of the situation, with one observer noting “They are lucky that the coach wasn’t Murilo,” suggesting the confrontation could have been far worse. Murilo Santana is banned from ADCC due to a previous incident.
The incident was further complicated by what some viewed as dodgy commentary from Hywel Teague, who appeared to totally missed the false tap, then started talking about Pato for talking offense. This response from the commentary team drew criticism from viewers who felt Pato’s reaction was justified given the circumstances.
The controversy was compounded by the fact that a similar situation occurred in another match where Fabricio Andrey’s opponent tried Brazilian tapping, but the ref didn’t buy it and stopped the action.
While the brawl was quickly contained, it served as a controversial moment for what was otherwise a high-level competition at the AIGA Champions League final. Stay tuned for our Play by Play.
