Bryce Ruthven and Melissa Rawson have responded after Friday night’s violent confrontation between Bryce and fellow MAFS alum Sam Carraro.
The reality TV stars exchanged barbs at the Team Ellis celebrity boxing event in Melbourne before getting into a vicious punch up.
Bryce, 32, and Melissa, 32, recorded a video and shared it to Instagram on Saturday, to explain their side of the story before and during the fight.
Their side: Married at First Sight’s Bryce Ruthven (left) and Melissa Rawson (right) recorded a video and shared it to Instagram on Saturday to explain their side of the story before and during Friday night’s fight with fellow MAFS alum Sam Carraro
‘So you’re probably all seen last night some videos of a boxing event here in Melbourne,’ the former radio host began.
‘So Sam (Carraro) has won his boxing fight, we were at the fight. He was saying all this stuff like f**king gonzo, f**king Bryce, p**sy, all this sort of stuff.’
The former Married at First Sight groom claimed he ‘never wanted to fight the guy’ and has ‘no interest in a boxing match’.
Brawl: The reality TV stars exchanged barbs at the Team Ellis celebrity boxing event in Melbourne before getting into a vicious punch up
‘I’m a lover not a fighter. I’m more interested in my partner and twin boys,’ he continued. ‘We’re allowed to have a night out and go and celebrate Christmas like anyone else is doing for work parties or with their friends.’
Ruthven and Rawson, who met and fell in love on season eight of MAFS, welcomed their premature twins boys Levi and Tate in October. They were born ten weeks early.
Melissa chimed in and explained that there was a ‘verbal exchange’ between Bryce and Sam throughout Sam’s fight with Love Island star and former AFL player Todd Elton.
Taunts: Bryce says Sam ‘won his boxing fight. He was saying all this stuff like f**king gonzo, f**king Bryce, p**sy, all this sort of stuff’. Pictured: Sam Carraro after the match
‘I called him a flog,’ Bryce said. ‘I don’t think there’s anything wrong with calling him a flog, people around us were calling him much worse.’
‘He stood there, I went up to the rope, things happened. He then had a second bite and came underneath the rope cause when Liss stood up, basically put her in danger.’
Melissa added: ‘I put my hands up to prevent the situation from escalating and pushed Sam back’.
Bryce claimed that he never threw a punch during the scuffle but Sam ‘threw multiple punches, or tried to,’ but none connected.
Caught on camera: Bryce claimed that he never threw a punch during the scuffle but Sam ‘threw multiple punches, or tried to,’ but none connected
Hurt: Daily Mail Australia understands Rawson, who welcomed premature twin sons in October, was injured during the struggle
‘The fact that he had a closed fist around a woman is just disgusting behaviour. We all saw what he’s like, the guy’s a bully.’
‘He’s interested in creating this publicity, persona, that there’s some feud. I’ve got no interest in it. I don’t have anything to do with him literally outside of a TV show,’ he added.
Bryce and Sam were caught in a scuffle as several bystanders, including their MAFS co-star Steve Burley, pried them apart.
‘I’m a lover not a fighter. I’m more interested in my partner and twin boys,’ Bruce said. ‘We’re allowed to have a night out and go and celebrate Christmas like anyone else is doing for work parties or with their friends.’ Pictured arriving at the boxing match
Melissa stepped between the men as they attempted to throw punches.
Daily Mail Australia understands Rawson, who welcomed premature twin sons in October, was injured during the struggle.
It is not known if police or ambulance services were called to the scene.
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Ruthven, Carraro and Rawson for comment.
Celebrity match: Sam had fought against Love Island star Todd Elton at the Team Ellis event
Ruthven and Carraro, who both starred on the Channel Nine ratings juggernaut Married At First Sight in 2021, have a long history of rivalry – however, just last week, the men claimed to have buried the hatchet.
Last Friday, the Herald Sun reported that Bryce and Sam were seen shaking hands at the opening of The European Hotel in Melbourne.
Bryce told Daily Mail Australia on Saturday that he indeed greeted Sam at the event.
He explained: ‘It’s what a decent human being does in a public setting. I don’t have anything to do with him outside of MAFS so have no issue saying hello to him if we see him.’
Arrival: Carraro earlier arrived on the red carpet looking relaxed with no sign of the trouble ahead
Sam and Bryce clashed several times during Married At First Sight this year, with one explosive fight leading to Bryce throwing a glass of water at Sam over the dinner table.
Most arguments centred around the way Bryce treated his TV ‘wife’ Melissa – who Sam claimed he’d seen ‘crying’ on the balcony of their apartment during filming.
The feud continued off-screen after the show aired when Sam challenged Bryce to a boxing match in April, but he rejected the invitation.
Rivals: Sam and Bryce clashed several times during Married At First Sight this year, with one explosive fight leading to Bryce throwing a glass of water at Sam over the dinner table
In November, Carraro told Daily Mail Australia that he hasn’t given up on trying to get Ruthven in the boxing ring – despite the former radio host rejecting his invitation to fight several times.
‘I wasn’t surprised Bryce didn’t get in the ring, I hope we can get it over the line eventually because a lot of people would pay to see it!’ he said.
Sam said at the time that he was willing to put their beef aside given Bryce’s circumstances with the premature birth of his twin boys.
Babies: Ruthven and Rawson, who met and fell in love on season eight of MAFS, welcomed their premature twins boys Levi and Tate in October. They were born ten weeks early