They say protect yourself at all times, but Mohammad Karaki was hoping the referee would protect him when he was inadvertently poked in the eye. At UAE Warriors 20 on Saturday, former Desert Force champion and ONE Championship title challenger Karaki faced Gianni Melillo. It was Karaki’s promotional debut, an it quickly turned into a nightmare for him. In a wild, back-and-forth round which had both fighters scoring knockdowns, Melillo extended his fingers into Karaki’s eyes before landing a left hand counter. Karaki immediately held his eye and turned his back to his opponent while walking away, but referee Frank Trigg did not pause the action.
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