Some men feel empowered to attack a woman for the immodest outfit she wears. They regard her clothing as an affront not to her dignity but to their idea of how she should behave.
Other men, however, know enough to respect and defend her no matter how she decides to dress. And this holds true even when they bear substantial responsibility for her immodest appearance.
In the moments preceding a Hardcore Fighting Championship mixed martial arts match held in the Russian capital of Moscow on April 19, Iranian fighter Ali Heibati counted himself with the attackers — and paid a heavy price for it — when he appeared to kick a scantily-clad ring girl named Maria in her backside.
After the kick, Heibati quickly lost the match, the respect of the Russian crowd and his career.
In a clip of the incident posted to the social media platform X, the ring girl strolled around the ring holding a sign that indicated the impending start of the first round.
When she passed by Heibati, the Iranian fighter used his right foot to kick in her direction. Apparently, he made contact, for she turned and confronted him.
According to Colombian journalist Eduardo Menoni, Heibati “felt offended by her clothing.”
Evidently, the Iranian fighter regarded kicking her as the best way to prove his moral point.
Then, the match itself ended in further disgrace.
Undoubtedly to the crowd’s enjoyment, Russian fighter Arkadiy Osipyan needed only 30 seconds to pummel Heibati and claim victory. But Heibati landed several cheap shots afterward while Osipyan had his back turned, according to the U.K.’s Mirror.
The 44-second video on X did not show Osipyan’s swift victory. But it did show a group of a half-dozen or so men who chased down, punched and kicked Heibati after the disgraced fighter had left the ring.
Un luchador iraní de MMA, llamado Ali Heibati le dio una patada a una chica del ring, porque “se sintió ofendido por su vestimenta”, pero el público ruso le dio una paloterapia al bajarse del ring por agredir a la dama. ¿Apoyas el accionar del público contra el cobarde agresor? pic.twitter.com/U00nn9eT9l
— Eduardo Menoni (@eduardomenoni) April 22, 2024
Later, according to the Mirror, Heibati posted an apology on social media.
“Hello everyone. This is for Maria. I didn’t act right with her. The reason was that before the MMA fight there were a lot of fistfights. I stayed there in the cage and I just wanted to go out and fight,” he began.
“I was tense and, as most understand, emotions flourish in the fight, so before the fight I acted badly towards María. I want to publicly apologise to her,” Heibati said.
Then came a strange attempt to equate marital status with respect for women in general.
“I am a married man, so I respect the female gender. She was doing her job and I, after the fight, didn’t admit my guilt either, because they also hit me on the head. Tell María that I am sorry,” Heibati concluded.
Alas, that intended apology did not save the Iranian fighter’s career.
Heibati received a lifetime ban from HFC, according to the Mirror.
The HFC released a statement via Instagram after the fight.
The April 19 post featured a man in a T-shirt speaking Russian. Maria stood to his right, wearing what looked like a long green trench coat and striking an uncomfortable pose.
According to Google Translate, the unnamed official denounced the incident as “beyond all moral and ethical standards.” He also criticized such behavior as “absolutely unacceptable towards women” and “the lowest a man can stoop to.”
With this in mind, HFC labeled Heibati’s apology “absolutely not enough” and fined him the amount of his fee. That entire fee will go to Maria.
Was this fair punishment for Heibati?
Furthermore, those who participated in backstage fights also received disqualifications and suspensions.
“Respect yourself, respect each other, respect the code of honor and simple moral values. Respect the behavioral norms of the civilized society of which you are a part. With respect and sincere apologies to our viewer, your Hardcore,” the official’s video statement concluded.
On one level, at least, readers may rightly scoff at such paeans to “respect” and “moral values” from the men who asked Maria to dress scantily in the first place.
The fact remains, however, that those who banned Heibati did right by the young woman.
Ironically, the men who exposed Maria to objectification also recognized her basic dignity and their obligation to defend it.
