Former Conor McGregor opponent punches rival for stealing his belt

All hell broke loose at a Hardcore FC MMA press event on Thursday.

UFC veteran Diego Brandao had his symbolic 'BHF title' snatched from him by former foe Mohammad Heibati, prompting the Brazilian to punch his rival in the face.

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Brandao won the strap by defeating Heibati via split decision last November.

Heibati was extremely upset with the result and stormed out of the cage after their fight.

And it's clear he still hasn't got over the defeat.

In footage uploaded to his Instagram page, Heibati can be seen snatching the belt from Brandao while he is being interviewed.

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Brandao immediately charges after Heibati and grapples with him before landing a thudding right hand on his adversary's jaw.

The pair are then separated by security as both men continue trading verbal jabs.

Heibati captioned the video: "This is my belt I won, they took it from me for a while and gave it to him.

"But today I took what was rightfully mine. Look at Brandao crying.

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"Mine, don't cry. Tomorrow, I'll take him from your arms one more time, there will be a reason to cry again.

"This is my belt, they stole it from me, but won't give it back... I’ll take her back the day after tomorrow she has a foul mouth!"

Taking to Instagram, Brandao fired back: "The next time you try to steal my belt you will be beaten again and you will be ashamed again.

"I will hit you in the face with an open hand so not to break your face, also accept the defeat and respect the champion, you’re an idiot."

Brandao is set to make the first defence of his BHF title on Saturday night against Muratbek Qasymbay in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

At his peak, Brandao was a decent fighter and won Season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter.

MMA fans will remember Brandao for his fight with Conor McGregor, which 'Notorious' won via first-round TKO.

It was after that victory that McGregor first uttered his famous catchphrase "We're not here to take part, we're here to take over".