Insta-tapper explains why he quit the moment his fight started: ‘This was my cry of protest’

The weird and wonderful world of MMA was a bit more weird than wonderful this weekend as we saw headbutts and brawls in Brazil and a fight in Poland end with an immediate tap as soon as the referee signaled the start of a fight.

Babilon MMA 54 was supposed to feature a heavyweight fight between Jacek Kujtowski and Marcin Szoltysik, only for the fight to end when Szoltysik immediately tapped on the canvas the moment the bout began.

It was one of the strangest things we’ve seen in the cage, and left many wondering what could have prompted Szoltysik to quit that way. A statement released by the Polish fighter attempted to explain the situation.

“I went into the octagon and immediately submitted,” Szoltysik’s message read (via international MMA expert Matysek). “It wasn’t weakness, that was conscious rebellion. It was rebellion against the liars and manipulators who claim to be my team, but in reality, treat their fighters as tools for their own gain.”

“From the beginning, they deliberately didn’t support my preparations — they wanted me to be unprepared and easily replaceable. They don’t care about sport, passion, or dedication — only about money and connections. They tried to turn me into ‘cannon fodder,’ just like they’d done with others before. I won’t let that happen.”

“Opponent has nothing to do with this, I have every respect for him,” Szoltysik continued. “I apologized to him personally in the Octagon, because that’s how you should treat a true warrior. I also apologize to the fans — my heart breaks and tears come to my eyes, but I couldn’t do otherwise. Dignity and honor are above all else.”

“This was my cry of protest against the lies, manipulation, and exploitation of athletes. I will not be sold. Enough is enough.”

Szoltysik isn’t the first fighter to feel like they were set up by their team to take a loss. At lower levels, gyms often agree to provide a certain number of fighters to fill slots at an event. Less scrupulous ones will do so with unprepared students who have little chance against much better opposition. But rarely does the ‘cannon fodder’ make it all the way into the cage before deciding they aren’t going to go through with things.

Back in 2018, boxer Curtis Harper pulled a similar stunt, stepping out of the ring and leaving immediately after his fight with Efe Ajagba started. Harper cited issues with his pay and contract as a reason why. That bout remains something of a fun trivia question for boxing to this day. We’ll see if people remember Szoltysik’s protest in a similar fashion years down the line.