Gantumur Bayanduuren will go down in history as the Mongolian who would not tap. He was so determined to see out the ten minute submission grappling match with Mikey Musumeci that he allowed the BJJ black belt to absolutely ruin his left leg.
Afterwards Bayanduuren sounded proud that he had managed to go the distance telling Musumeci on Instagram that,
I’d say that’s the only way (you could) win.
But according to SCMP the Mongolian’s feet of endurance came at a severe cost. He looks likely to be sidelined for several years and there have to be doubts as to whether he will ever compete again after suffering,
A torn ACL, MCL, meniscus and broken ankle.
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Complicated injuries
While he could recover from the broken angle in a matter of months the knee injuries are potentially much more complicated. Many athletes are never able to compete at the same levels again after tearing their ACL.
It sounds like Bayanduuren is looking at three separate surgeries on his knee and has an ankle that will need resetting too. Because leg injuries are almost always accidental it is virtually unheard of for an athlete to suffer four injuries to the same leg like this.
The problem is that Musumeci, who holds a BJJ black belt, was deliberately applying pressure to the joints and tendons of the leg in the expectation that his opponent would admit defeat by tapping out when he was on the verge of suffering a serious injury. Bayanduuren decided not to do that and he has paid a heavy price for this public display of machismo.
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Highly confused
At one stage Musumeci can be seen looking confused and waving his spare hand at the referee as if to ask ‘what’s going on’? Online opinion on Bayanduuren seems to be mixed with some fans praising the ‘Mongolian warrior’ and others unable to understand why he didn’t tap.
Musumeci said he felt his opponent’s knee ‘rip like cardboard’ and medical professionals appear to have subsequently confirmed this diagnosis. A few fans have suggested that Bayanduuren has boosted his profile by refusing to tap and will have more fight offers in future but it could be several years before the Mongolian is ready to launch a comeback.
