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When An MMA Fighter Had A Mid-Fight Trim In His UFC Debut

When An MMA Fighter Had A Mid-Fight Trim In His UFC Debut

That's how you mark your debut in the biggest MMA promotion...

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

MMA fighter Shane Burgos' UFC debut was a historic one for the most bizarre reason.

He part of the UFC Fight Night 102 December 2016 bill that featured the headlining heavyweight fight between Derrick Lewis and Shamil Abdurakhimov in Albany, New York.

And Burgos, who was a replacement for Zubaira Tukhugov after the latter was pulled from the card following a potential anti-doping violation, was victorious in his debut when he ousted Tiago Traitor by unanimous decision.

But Burgos also provided something we're pretty sure has never been done before in the Octagon when he had a haircut in the middle of the fight.

We say middle of the fight - it wasn't as though he was getting short back and sides while being punched in the head by his opponent - the fighter's entourage were chopping his hair off prior to round three when in his corner.

It certainly made for interesting viewing. The only thing missing was the mandatory "Yeah sound that, mate" when you get out of the barber chair.

Image: PA
Image: PA

And after his big win, Burgos revealed that he didn't just fancy a free haircut so he could take a selfie to post on Snapchat, there was a genuine explanation for the trim.

Speaking after the fight, he said: "I told my corner that if the fight goes past the first round and my hair is getting in my face to cut it [pony tail] off.

"It wasn't getting in my face the first round, but it started to in the second, so I told them to cut it off. It was pretty memorable, but it was planned beforehand. That was the first Octagon haircut, right? I think that's worth a bonus, fight of the night maybe?"

Similarly, UFC fighter Emil Meek was forced to shave his 'Viking' beard off ahead of UFC 206 due to a rule from the Ontario Athletic Commission that fighters must be "cleanly shaven immediately prior to competition" with the exception of a "closely cropped mustache."

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Topics: UFC News, MMA News, UFC, MMA