Brian Shaw asserts that the agreements for the forthcoming bouts were not fulfilled.
Four-time World’s Strongest Man (WSM), Brian Shaw was gearing up for his MMA debut on February 17, 2024, in Qatar, facing Martyn Ford but the fighters will need to wait. Speculations about the event’s cancellation had been circulating, and Shaw turned to YouTube to officially announce the cancellation on Monday.
Shaw was scheduled to compete against Ford in the ring on February 17. The event was also set to feature clashes between Eddie Hall and Mitchell Hooper, with the victor of that match going up against Shaw as well. A shortage of promotions leading up to the fight raised concerns about its occurrence. Shaw delivered the news and expressed his frustration about the cancellation.
“It seems the February 17th date for my bout is, at the very least, going to be delayed. Not the best news coming out of this meeting. I’m irritated and upset.”
Shaw’s video began with a training session in preparation for the fight. The following day, Shaw revealed after a meeting that he learned the fight would be cancelled. He then headed to the gym to continue training and share the updates with his coaches.
Brian Shaw was intensely training with numerous skilled coaches to ready himself for his match with Ford, who has also prepared as an MMA fighter.
“Whenever I undertake something, I give 100%. There’s no other way I know how to do it, and this is no exception.”
Brian Shaw Announces Fight Cancellation
There were rumors of Mitchell Hooper withdrawing from the event over contract issues. The current World’s Strongest Man shared on his Instagram story that the fight was called off after promoters reduced the prize money from $30 million each to $3 million. Shaw referenced contracts as well, which seemed to be the deciding factor.
“There was a contract involved and that was the primary reason I participated. I could have achieved a lot with that, but often, the journey itself is the reward. Only time will tell, but they have a lot to make up for. You must adhere to contracts, commitments, and your word.”
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Ultimately, the organizations responsible for compensating fighters for this event significantly altered the terms just days before. Hooper, who is getting ready to compete in the Arnold Strongman Classic, expressed that he did not believe the fight would occur and hence, did not train for it. Instead, Hooper remains focused on the Strongman competitions for the 2024 season.
Brian Shaw continued to share his thoughts, stating that he is ready at any time.
“At some point, we just need to get some answers. I want to do it. I’m prepared to do it and training for it, so let’s get it done.
I’m proud of the dedication I’ve shown and of giving my all to this endeavor. When situations like this arise, you have to step back and take a deep breath.”
Currently, there are no plans to reschedule the fights. Brian Shaw is the only one so far to make an official statement on social media.
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