Saitama (Japan) - Shocking scenes at the Rizin 49 martial arts event ! During a showdown between two professional wrestlers in Japan, a referee was caught in the middle - and took several blows in the process.

The incident took place on New Year's Eve in a multi-purpose hall with a capacity of around 37,000 in the south of the metropolis of Saitama, not far from Tokyo.

Domestic star Rukiya Anpo (29) had to hold his own in a duel with Iranian Sina Karimian (36), but the 36-year-old only stepped into the ring as a replacement for Ryan Garcia (26).

The reason: at the end of June, the US-American was given a one-year ban for doping. He was also fined 10,000 US dollars (the equivalent of around 9,300 euros).

Apparently driven by the frustration of not being able to compete against one of the world's best fighters, Anpo used backhands in the fight against Karimian. However, these are not welcome and are considered illegal.

As a result, the 29-year-old was warned several times by the referee. However, the admonishing words apparently did not go down well with the athlete, so that he received another warning.

However, when the two opponents came closer to each other and the referee tried to separate them, they both started to throw more punches - hitting the referee twice in the process. However, the referee stood his ground and did not go down.

Security forces immediately entered the ring and broke up the tumultuous scenes within a few seconds. Videos circulating on social media show several people intervening courageously - and ultimately calming the situation.

As neither man was accused of intent, it was decided to continue the fight, which Anpo clearly won on points 60:54.