MMA fighter's cup falls off repeatedly mid-fight before embarrassing disqualification

MMA fighters take part in one of the most grueling sports in the world. They're always at risk of not only being punched, kicked, elbowed and kneed, but also choked out and having their limbs snapped or torn apart by submissions. Sometimes, a strike can land where it was never meant to: the groin.

This is where the use of cups comes into play. To protect fighters from inadvertent fouls, they wear cups to protect their groins. But on rare occasions, a cup can be an MMA fighter's worst nightmare. This is what took place during an amateur bout between Tommy Cox and Jason White.

The matchup, according to The Sun, was promoted under the Flex Fights banner. To the misfortune of everyone who turned up to watch the fight, it ended within seconds, but not due to a flash knockout or sudden submission. Instead, it ended because of White's cup.

It fell out on multiple occasions, one too many times for the referee, who disqualified him, thus bringing an end to the bout. It is likely the first disqualification of its kind, or at least the first that gained some attention in the media. The most common type of disqualifications tend to be from illegal strikes.

For example, reigning UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones was disqualified for landing illegal 12-6 elbows on Matt Hamill.

Petr Yan is infamous for becoming the first UFC champion to lose his title due to disqualification after he landed a knee on Aljamain Sterling's head while the latter was a grounded opponent.

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Craziest knockouts in amateur MMA

Before a fighter makes their debut in the professional MMA scene, they must first test their mettle and prove their worthiness as amateurs. Barring exceptional circumstances like CM Punk parlaying his popularity to earn a UFC contract, this is the standard that's expected of all fighters.

Thus, amateur fights can be exciting, with many mixed martial artists working hard to impress potential scouts. However, trying too hard can sometimes backfire. At BCMMA 18, this is exactly what happened when Joe Harding started taunting his foe in the third round, dancing and shuffling before being KO'd by a head kick.