This is a new tactic.
On Saturday night, Travis Fulton and Johnathan Ivey faced off in MMA action for Colosseum Combat 45. Ivey brought a new move to the fighting scene, as he faked a heart attack in the first round and immediately punched Fulton in the face.
Things got even more bizarre when Ivey tapped out of the fight despite having Fulton in a compromising position. The reason? Fulton was Ivey’s idol and didn’t want to beat him into submission.
https://twitter.com/FightFan_DC/status/1013273391191580673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1013273391191580673&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mmamania.com%2F2018%2F7%2F1%2F17522640%2Fjonathan-ivey-fake-heart-attack-sucker-punch-travis-fulton-mma-fight
I always thought Ivo Cuk was the patron saint of MMA tats but it's actually Johnathan Ivey pic.twitter.com/HTBoWBl14n
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) July 1, 2018
I’m not quite sure whether Ivey is displaying sportsmanship or just laying an egg because he doesn’t want to disrespect his idol. It’s especially weird considering the fake heart attack move and the ensuing sucker punch. Maybe, Ivey realized he pulled a cheap tactic against his idol and didn’t want to win that way. If so, I can respect that.