The life of a referee can be difficult in any sport and doubly so when you're right in the middle of a Max Muay Thai bout, as one referee found out in China on Saturday!
The brilliant Chinese fighter, Gou Dakui, was expected to deliver a knockout win and he duly battered his Thai opponent, claiming victory with a second-round TKO. That wasn't the end of the story though...
During the closing moments of a superb win, Dakui powered a bruising punch into the face of his opponent AND unleashed a violent kick that connected... Unfortunately it connected with the face of the referee as he got a little too involved with the action!
The kick sent the referee flailing to the canvas as he held his nose before officials came to his aid.
Another referee then entered the ring to award the fight to Dakui as he decided that the Thai opponent couldn't continue.
Dakui then realised the injured referee was in trouble and bowed down to offer his apologies to the prone official.
It really was a bizarre end to a brutal fight and it is one that has to be seen to believed. You can see the end to the fight in the Twitter video below, simply click 'Play' to see the action unfold.
Thankfully, the referee was okay in the end and Dakui was able to enhance his overall career record to 21-9. It was a hugely impressive performance from the Chinese fighter and he has provided us with one of the most watchable Muay Thai moments of the year.
