The fight game is evolving so fast that UFC fighters will soon require fully qualified barbers in their corner.
The half dozen people who tuned into the UFC Albany card on Friday night witnessed a strange sight the likes of which have never been seen inside the Octagon before.
Promotional newcomer Shane Burgos (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) was the talk of Twitter following his fight against Tiago Trator (20-6-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) on the preliminary card. Although the New York native won the fight he took on two weeks notice via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-27) it wasn't his performance inside the cage that was the main focus of discussion.
In the middle of the scrap, Burgos had some sort of hair-related issue which prompted his cornerman to give him a haircut between the second and third round.
https://twitter.com/ufc/status/807381944476413952
During the broadcast it was difficult to decipher whether the cornerman's instructions of "four-three-two" was him giving tactical advice or giving the fighter a breakdown of what razors he was going to use for the hairdo. It was a dead give away when he didn't produce a tiny mirror after the cut was over that he was indeed talking tactics.
Viewers didn't have to wait long for an explanation as during his Octagon interview, Burgos gave his reason for the mid-fight chop.
"I told my corner that if the fight goes past the first round and my hair is getting in my face to cut it [pony tail] off. It wasn't getting in my face the first round, but it started to in the second, so I told them to cut it off. It was pretty memorable, but it was planned beforehand. That was the first Octagon haircut, right? I think that's worth a bonus, fight of the night maybe?"
It wasn't, but it did see him achieve some internet fame. The only problem is the fans will be expecting these antics every time he enters the cage from now on.
