Bare-knuckle boxing star Tai Emery was brutally cut between her eyes during her loss to Chisakan Ariphipat at BKFC Thailand 4 this afternoon.
The fighter made headlines when she flashed the crowd after winning her debut by knockout in the first round, but was unable to do the same this time around. Emery had promised fireworks if she were to get another victory in the BKFC squared circle, and was aggressive throughout the five round contest, losing a narrow decision on all three judges' scorecards.
She faced a tough test in Ariphipat, who goes by Po Denman and had countless more fights during her career boxing and competing in other martial arts. The Thai fighter had even previously beaten a man in a bare-knuckle fight, and has gone 17-1-1 in standard professional boxing.
Australian Emery was confident in her power early in the contest, and swung big shots and Denman who was able to counter well and quickly mark her rival's face. And the nasty cut appeared to get worse, with the fighter's corner spending most of the time between rounds cleaning her wound and getting rid of blood.
Emery had gained a massive following on social media after her last stunt, despite upsetting promotional boss David Feldman in the process. She was warned that had she won against Denman this afternoon in Thailand and pulled a similar trick that there was a hefty fine on the table.
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“I will say one thing, I did get in a lot of trouble with Dave Feldman from BKFC," she told MMAFighting ahead of her return to action. "Just for everyone that wanted to know some repercussions, I was in trouble, so thanks everyone, all you Karens, for having a little complaint. I’m sorry about that, but this is an 18+ event, so just don’t watch.
“So they said that I’m going to be fined if I pull a stunt, that word has been locked in my head, because I’ve been pulled into the principal’s office once again. Nothing’s changed. I’ve been told that the stunt that I pulled will not be allowed. They're talking millions of bahts [the Thai currency, around £20,000] in fines, but what’s good? We’ll see what happens.”
