Moses Itauma Shoves Hrgovic Off Weigh In Stage

After regaining his balance, Hrgovic stepped forward and slapped Itauma across the face with his right hand. Itauma tried to reach the Croatian heavyweight, but security and members of both teams held the fighters apart.

Itauma started it by pushing Hrgovic off the edge of an elevated stage, where a bad landing carried more danger than anything likely to happen during a standard staredown. He was upset about Hrgovic stepping in front of him, partially for a double-biceps pose. It was pretty harmless stuff, but Itauma got heated enough to shove Hrgovic while his back was turned.

Hrgovic repeatedly labeled Itauma a protected "golden child" steered carefully toward this title opportunity. The way that Itauma lost his temper today was a signal that Hrgovic's comments have gotten to him.