MMA referee Herb Dean was vindicated following a controversial stoppage that took place in May at the MVP MMA: Rousey vs. Carano event.
In the undercard bout between Adriano Moraes and Phumi Nkuta, Moraes choked out Nkuta cold at the very last second of the third round in what was an unbelievable comeback, as he would have lost a split decision on the scorecards if the fight had gone just one more second. But the stoppage was extremely controversial, as many viewers believe that Moraes held the choke too long and that Nkuta only went unconscious after the final bell rang, not before it.
After the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) used instant replay cageside to review the finish, they went with Moraes via submission at 4:59 of round three as the official call. However, Nkuta appealed the result of the fight, as he felt that Dean did not correctly officiate the bout.
On Monday in Sacramento, Nkuta finally had his chance to talk to the CSAC about what happened during the finish, but unfortunately for the fighter, the commission sided with Dean, as Nkuta’s appeal was denied.
Phumi Nkuta’s Appeal Falls Short
MMAjunkie.com’s Nolan King has the full statement from CSAC executive director Andy Foster, who said that while he did agree that Moraes held the choke too long, he said there was inconclusive evidence when Nkuta was choked unconscious, and thus he couldn’t overturn the result.
“We watched this replay. I bet I’ve watched it 80 times now. We’ve watched it over and over. I’m still unsure when he went unconscious. When we’re not sure about something, it needs to be clear and convincing evidence if this commission is going to flip a fight, just to be very clear. I can’t tell you in any definitive way, at what point are we flipping the fight? What I can tell you is Mr. Nkuta would’ve won that fight, had he not been choked. I can tell you that. That was going to happen. The question for the commissioners is, and you can watch the tape and get your own opinion, is at what point was he unconscious?” Foster said.
“Another point is, do you think Herb should’ve charged him with a foul for holding it. I’ve heard the word, ‘2.15 seconds long.’ I wasn’t sure if it was that long, but let’s assume that it was 2.15 seconds. I don’t know if it was that long, but let’s make it that because that’s what I was told. I’ve seen fights like this, and I know you all have as well, where it happens quite frequently. The question is up for the commissioners but my recommendation is we have to maintain what the referee called that night. We went to replay. We’ve watched it many times that night and we still couldn’t determine.”
Phumi Nkuta Issues Statement on Adriano Moraes Fight
Following his failed appeal, Nkuta posted a short statement on his Instagram stories, which you can read below.
“I guess you’re allowed to hold chokes after the bell. This fight was taken from me by Adriano Moraes, Herb Dean, and the California State Athletic Commission. The people know it. I’m rematching Moraes, and this time on a full camp, I’m taking his (expletive) head. With a complete disregard for the rules,” Nkuta wrote.
GettyPhumi Nkuta Instagram Stories
Ultimately, the right thing to do is book a rematch between Moraes and Nkuta, with a new referee this time around, as Dean has really been struggling with refereeing fights in recent months, with this being just one of several controversial fights involving Dean recently.
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