Fake Cage Fight Duped Arkansas Spectators

Match Instead Featured Men Ripping Each Others' Clothes Off And Kissing

(AP)  Crowds in Arkansas came for the lure of cage fighting and $1 beer, but police say what they got instead was men ripping each others' clothes off and kissing - a stunt suspected of being orchestrated by Sacha Baron Cohen of "Borat" fame.

"We had a contract for cage fighting. We were deceived," said Dwight Duncan, president and CEO of Four States Fair Grounds in Texarkana, where the first of two Arkansas fights raised suspicions last month.

Matt Labov, a Los Angeles-based publicist for Baron Cohen, said he had no comment Monday about the faked fights. One of Baron Cohen's movies is due out next year.

The day after the June 5 Texarkana bout, Fort Smith's convention center hosted "Blue Collar Brawlin."' Fort Smith police Sgt. Adam Holland said organizers told him a character named "Straight Dave" would goad a planted audience member into the ring for a fight.

The two men would then wrestle, rip away some of their clothes and share a brief kiss reminiscent of one between Baron Cohen and Will Ferrell in the film "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."

Producers said "there would be a romantic embrace," Holland said. "They said it was kind of to essentially make fun, poke fun at wrestling - two guys rolling around on the floor, all sweaty."

An elaborate array of mounted and handheld video cameras caught the crowd of 1,600's reaction as the two men "went right up to the line" of the city's morality laws, Holland said. The two men stripped down to their underwear, kissed and rubbed on each other, the sergeant said.

The audience, as well as local fighters drawn to take part in the show, became enraged. "It set the crowd off lobbing beers," Holland said. "They had beers in plastic cups. Those things can get some distance on them actually."

Holland said it took officers about 45 minutes to clear the convention center, as the two actors sprinted away through a specially set-aside tunnel.

Those in attendance were told by several signs on display that they'd be filmed, Holland said, and signed waivers before the event. Convention center sales director Karin Hobbs declined to name the event's sponsor Monday.

Baron Cohen became a national celebrity after his 2006 hit movie "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," in which he played a bumbling reporter from the Central Asia nation.

News of the faked cage fights comes as Baron Cohen is in production of a movie titled "Bruno," named after the gay Austrian fashion reporter he developed for "Da Ali G Show." Baron Cohen, in the guise of Bruno, often interviewed hapless subjects in the South.

If the cage match visits came from Baron Cohen, it wouldn't be the first time Arkansas fell for a practical joke. In 2000, then-Gov. Mike Huckabee fell for a prank and congratulated Canada for preserving its icebound Parliament, calling it a "national igloo."

[faded2nite]

One thing is for sure: the crew that put together this shenanigan were lucky to get out of there with their lives. People have a way of disappearing in our backwoods & the bodies rarely turn up.

As for intelligence, there seems to be very little in this form of comedy.

[toldyouso12]

LOL. Only barbarians would want to see 2 people or animals in cages fighting each other--they got just what they deserved.

[whiskyrocker]

I bet security had there work cut out for them.

[apprxam]

Ha-Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

[libsluv2spit]

somebody needs to start kicking some liberal arses..

[kansas1946]

(AP) Crowds in Arkansas came for the lure of cage fighting and $1 beer, but police say what they got instead was men ripping each others'' clothes off and kissing - a stunt suspected of being orchestrated by Sacha Baron Cohen of "Borat" fame.

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LMAO. A bunch of hillbilly red-necks, all settled down for a little beer and blood, and instead they get a kiss. No wonder they are mad. What genuine Arkansas billy-bob wants to see nice when they paid to see mean and bloody. This whole story just made my day!!

[nssherlock1]

Yep, Cohen NEARLY has talent. I would pay several pennies to see him in person...if he were on fire.

[republic1776]

"Obama plans to have a $1,000 annual tax cut for working families; a new Social Security tax on incomes above $250,000; a $4,000 annual college tuition credit for those who commit to national or community service programs; and eliminate income taxes for seniors making less than $50,000 a year."

Take from the rich and let the Government "middle man it" to the poor?
Are you retarded! (and a communist, to boot!)

How about working?

[sociald63]

so - what''s the problem ... you hillbillies in AR - need to lighten up :)

[magoo2u1]

I guess he''s not for everyone but I think he''s funny. Borat was a gas. I suppose there are those who say Richard Pryor, George Carlin and Eddie Murphy are just vulgar and gross too.
what is a cage fight? If you had tickets to one would think it was real?

[republic1776]

"I grew up in SoCal my whole life"
So how can you make a judgement, only living in Holyweird?

(I''ve lived in PA, CA, NY, FL)

[scottyusa]

It would have been nice if they fought a bit before kissing and making up. Hope there were not too many kids there.

[smurfcrusher]

Hahahahahaha!!!!!! Too funny!!!

Intelligent people would have been suspicious - very suspicious - at having to sign a waiver (not required at ball games -er, let me clarify, Baseball games)
and at the tons of cameras mounted around pointing at the audience.

What a freakin'' riot! LOL

[susan10001-2009]

roflamo!! THIS is FUNNY!

[caliengineer]

Just ban that loser. His gross, vulgar, rude and disrespectful approach cannot be played off as ''irreverent'', or even funny. If he loses all his contracts, America and the world will be better off.

[xmanborg]

Naked cage-fighting and kissing? Would that be a summer or winter Olympic sport?

I think its a Multi-Season Sport, Summer time in MUD, Winer time in Snow or Ice Water, Spring Time in some kind of Roses with thorns, Fall time in Lots and Lots of Fallen Leaves.

[luvny-2009]

SistaTee ...that''s a VERY GOOD question. Maybe someone out there that knows more about it or maybe even been involved can tell us.

[sistatee-2009]

Naked cage-fighting and kissing? Would that be a summer or winter Olympic sport?

[newtagagain]

Cohen makes the old "Candid Camera" shows look high-brow, I can''t imagine anyone with a brain falling for his schtick. If, however, anyone deserves to be mocked in Cohen''s offensive manner it''s people who''d get pissed off about attending a fake cage fight.

[texanforlogi]

Yep...Bill, Kevin Costner and Matt McConahey dancin round a fire naked like Costner did with all dem dare men folk after he filmed ''''Dances with wolves''''...course it might be ''''dances wit possum'''' in that country




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Posted by sbbm at 01:19 PM : Jul 08, 2008


I don''t care if they are Dances with Wolves or Dancing With Possums--If Kevin Costner and Matthew McConahey are dancing naked anywhere, with any thing, I WANT TO BE THERE!