UFC fighter apologizes after landing 'unnecessary' punches on unconscious opponent

By Hoang Nguyen October 2, 2024 | 12:22 am PT

UFC lightweight fighter Fares Ziam has apologized for landing heavy extra blows on Matt Frevola after he was unconscious, following his victory in Paris.

Fares Ziam continues to deliver punches to Matt Frevola's face after he was knocked out at the UFC Paris fight on Sept. 29, 2024. Photo courtesy of UFC

The UFC Paris fight on Sunday ended with Ziam knocking out Frevola with a brutal knee at Accor Arena. Frevola suffered a fractured left orbital after the match.

However, the fight caused controversy as Ziam hit Frevola twice with heavy punches even after he was unconscious. Many came to social media to criticize the act.

"Why the extra punches. Matt was clearly out after the knee," account @tacofriedsoup wrote on X.

"The last two punches were absolutely unnecessary!!" commented another account.

Three days after the fight, Ziam apologized to Frevola in an interview with sport journalist Kevin Iole that was shared on the latter's YouTube channel.

"I’m sorry to Matt that I did that, but I didn’t feel the knockout," Ziam said. "So, I didn’t know at the time he was knocked out, so I am sorry about that."

While the extra shots were unnecessary, the referee did not stop him in time. According to the rules, fighters are allowed to continue until the referee stops them.

Ziam, 27, nicknamed "Smile Killer", joined UFC in 2019. So far, the French fighter has won 16 and lost 4 matches in his professional career.