Moroccan teenager disqualified for two illegal kicks to grounded opponent Payakrut in Muay Thai bout at Lumpinee Stadium
Abdessamie Rhenimi has apologised after being disqualified for two illegal ‘soccer kicks’ during his fight with Payakrut at ONE Friday Fights 128 in Bangkok on Friday night.
The Moroccan teenager was red-carded midway through the second round at Lumpinee Stadium after kicking his Thai opponent in the head while he was already grounded – the second such incident of the bout.
Earlier in the first round, Rhenimi had also caught Payakrut with a similar illegal strike just seconds into their strawweight Muay Thai contest.
The referee immediately called for injury time and issued a yellow card, resulting in a 10 per cent purse deduction.
When the same foul was repeated in round two, the official once again stepped in – but this time to halt the fight and disqualify the 19-year-old, as boos rang around the arena. Payakrut, who had already dropped Rhenimi with a knockdown earlier, was declared the winner by disqualification.
Clips of the incident quickly went viral across social media, with many fans calling for disciplinary action and some urging ONE Championship not to book Rhenimi again.
The Petchsaman Gym fighter, however, posted a public apology on Saturday evening, insisting the fouls were not intentional.
‘I want to sincerely apologise to Payakrut. I wish him a healthy and strong recovery,’ Rhenimi said. ‘The fight was intense, and in the heat of the moment, I let my emotion take over. I wanted to win so badly that I lost control and didn’t think clearly.
‘My actions were not intentional, but I take full responsibility for them. This is not who I am, and it’s not the example I want to set as a professional. I will learn from this and do better.’
Soccer kicks – strikes to the head of a grounded opponent – are banned under ONE Championship’s ruleset, even in mixed martial arts bouts. The technique remains legal only in a handful of promotions such as Japan’s Rizin Fighting Federation.