By Fans showing up to Xtreme Violence Fighting 17 hoping for a card full of malice and its resulting mid-fight hockey games were left disappointed as only one bout on the card saw the fighters stop participating in the sport they are contracted for and which they train for regularly to instead play a different sport. Although several bouts on the card promised high potential for hockey action due to pre-existing bad blood, each bout saw cooler heads prevail, with fighters happy to stick to punching, kicking and choking their opponents. Many of the event’s paying customers were not amused.
“It’s fucking bullshit, is what it is,” said frequent XVF attendee Patrick Dalhauser. “I paid big money for these tickets, and when you spend a lot of money to see premier athletes do what they do best, you also expect for there to be occasional breaks where they do a different sport entirely that they’re much less talented at. That’s just part of the fan-athlete agreement.”
The lone hockey game on the card did little to satisfy, due to its lopsided nature. Strawweight champion Macy O’Hara, known by fans for her mixed martial arts prowess more than her hockey abilities, was soundly defeated 3-0 by challenger Amanda Taylor. Taylor picked up the gloves in the fourth round after some particularly dominant fighting by O’Hara, and drew criticism from fans for not choosing a more challenging opponent, like O’Hara’s cornerman Jaromir Jagr. Both fighters received verbal warnings from the referee following the rules-violating game.
