On the 24th of March, Drew Chatman made his MMA debut on LFA 36, but he made headlines for all the wrong reasons.
At LFA 36 on Friday night, Chatman won his fight via knockout against Irvins Ayala in round 1, but what happened next sent the MMA world into disbelief. After knocking out his opponent, Chatman made the shortsighted decision to front flip off of his unconscious opponents back. This, of course, is incredibly unprofessional and unwanted in the sport of mixed martial arts. This senseless act ended up costing Chatman the victory after he was disqualified by the referee.
After his disqualification, Chatman spoke to MMA Fighting and discussed the confusing events that occurred. Chatman regrets his actions and he told MMA Fighting that his emotions were running high. This was Chatman’s professional MMA debut and he explained that he didn’t know what he was doing at the time.
“I want to apologise to Irvins Ayala,” Chatman said. “He was a good opponent. And he brought the fight to me. And he had a lot of heart. It was not a good move on my part as a martial artist. And I want to apologise to the California Athletic Commission because they laid down the rules, they gave a great understanding and they do their job very well. Also, to Legacy, LFA, because they gave me a great opportunity to display my skills and it was a good platform.
“I’m not gonna play the victim here because when you look at it the real victim here is Irvins Ayala. Let’s just be real. He showed up, he fought. It was an unfortunate mishap, but it did not have to end that way. All this publicity, all this media, the reality is I was wrong and I ain’t trying to gain no fame off of this because I’m a martial artist.”
Chatman seems to be handling the situation well, and he understands that he is in the wrong for his actions. In the interview, he explained the events from his point of view.
“I threw a kick, he tripped me and as he came down, I moved my knee in a certain position and he had hit his chin to my knee,” Chatman said. “At that moment, it happened so fast that my instincts just kicked in and I started punching. As he fell down to the floor, it was almost like I couldn’t believe he was out, because it happened really quick. My natural reaction was just to get up.”
“Normally, I celebrate my fights. If you see all my amateur fights, I’m doing flips, I’m doing cartwheels or whatever the case may be. I didn’t think before I did it. I just jumped and did a flip. So it was almost like subconsciously I did what I normally what I would do celebrating a victory that I normally get.”
Chatman was suspended for 90 days by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) and his pay was withheld due to the commission’s disqualification rules.
When asked about his $500 purse being withheld Chatman understood the reasoning and accepted the decision.
“Let me be honest with you, man,” Chatman said. “I don’t deserve to get paid for that. It’s disappointing watching that. My mother has to see that. People that look up to me and see me become an inspiration to them have to look at that. Even though I’m not a champion so to speak, but I overcame a lot of things and I became something that I never thought I would become. Just to have my first pro fight is crazy, because I didn’t think I’d ever be on this level. It just happened so fast.
“So, the rules are the rules. And at the end of the day, when you actually look at what took place, I’m OK with having my pay taken away. I’m OK with being suspended 90 days. I’m OK with that. Because you can’t get that back. The video is priceless. I have to look back at that and live with regret every single day.”
Do you think that Chatman was treated fairly in this case?
