Jerome Le Banner chose to end his K-1 fight with Kyotaro on his own terms. After 3 grueling rounds, judges rendered their decision: a draw. In K-1, a draw means that the fighters go to an extension round. Le Banner wasn’t having that.
Le Banner was ripped by Michael “The Voice” Schiavello on the broadcast. Schiavello said that Le Banner leaving the ring and quitting was “disrespectful to K-1, disrespectful to the fans.” MMA Fighting also took Le Banner to task, agreeing with Schaivello and adding, “Le Banner’s actions were, frankly, disgraceful, and they marred what had been a great fight. It was absolutely unacceptable ending to a terrific bout, and it marred what has been an otherwise great K-1 event.”
Le Banner on his decision to quit the match: “I left when the judges said it was a draw. No, It was not a draw. I had one more point. It was not fair. They wanted something more, it was not fair. It was not fair.”
I’m not sure there is a need for sanctimony here. Le Banner thought he got a raw deal and chose to quit. Kyotaro gets the win by forfeit and advances. Fighters quit fighting all the time during matches. Le Banner’s method was simply different.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time that Le Banner has had a problem with the judges’ outcome. Back in 2006 at the K-1 World Grand Prix in Amsterdam, judges initially ruled for Remy Bonjasky instead of Le Banner. Le Banner filed a protest and weeks later he was named the winner.
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