Fight night nerves hit fighters in various ways. Some may pace around backstage, some stay silent, and some come out of the tunnel with so much energy that things get a little… unpredictable. That is exactly what happened to AJ Hotchkins in a video that has since gone viral.

The former college football star turned MMA fighter was trying to get himself hyped up for the fight, but what was supposed to be a cool moment turned into one of the most embarrassing walkouts fans have witnessed in a long time. And the worst part? The fight hadn’t even started yet.

AJ Hotchkins falls out of the cage during his own walkout

In the video that has been shared by multiple platforms online, including ESPN, AJ Hotchkins entered the cage full of energy, performing a backflip and jumping around to hype up the crowd. Still facing backward, he moved toward the cage wall — except the door behind him was open.

He stepped through it, unaware that it wasn’t locked, and fell out hilariously. Nobody reacts for a second. The crowd gasped, the announcer froze, and Hotchkins quickly jumped back in as if nothing happened, trying to keep the energy up despite the awkward situation.

But even he knew for sure that he just delivered a viral moment that will be circulating on the internet for years to come. So, his move? Laugh it off. Commenting on the clip shared by ESPN MMA, he commented, “Wasn’t my night, boyz 😂.”

Justin Bernard, the ring announcer, also apologized, writing, “My reflexes to help were non-existent in that moment. My bad.”

Fans also had a field day. A user found it too hard to digest: “Someone tell me this is AI 😂.” Another quipped, “Dude lost before the fight 😂,” while others blamed the cage crew: “Who left the door open 😂? “A few fans even related to the moment, with one saying, “How important information enters my brain 😅.”

There were also a lot of worried reactions, because the fall looked painful in real time. “I thought he snapped his leg,” one fan commented, while another wrote, “Glad he didn’t injure himself.” Given how often strange injuries find their way into MMA, many spectators were glad he stood up and walked it off.

AJ Hotchkins has had a pretty unusual path to MMA already, transitioning from Division I football to coaching and then becoming a social media fitness star before entering combat sports.

Even with all that, this may be the most memorable moment for most fans. Not because of the fight. Not because of the result. Because he walked into the cage… and immediately walked right back out of it. However, it is worth noting that embarrassing moments like these actually aren’t that uncommon, and even the best have been unable to avoid getting into such situations.

When Johnny Walker injured himself while celebrating a win

As funny as AJ Hotchkins’ moment looked, longtime MMA fans know that this type of situation occurs more often than you might imagine. Fighters train for months to withstand punches, kicks, and submissions, but sometimes the most dangerous moment comes when nobody is throwing anything at all.

One of the most memorable incidents occurred at UFC 235, when Johnny Walker knocked out Misha Cirkunov in 36 seconds. Instead of walking off peacefully, Walker celebrated with his typical wild energy and began performing the worm dance in the Octagon. Halfway through the celebration, he suddenly grabbed his shoulder.

Why? Because the fighter managed to dislocate it not during the battle, but while celebrating his victory. Because it was so ridiculous, the incident became viral almost immediately. Johnny Walker had just destroyed his opponent in under a minute, but he ended up needing medical attention for his own celebration.

Fans still laugh about it now, referring to it as one of the most iconic moments in UFC history. In comparison, AJ Hotchkins falling out of the cage before the fight might actually be the safer mistake to make.