In the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia, Israel Adesanya suffered only the second knockout loss of his MMA career; this time at the hands of a surging French ‘Sniper’.
Whilst Nassourdine Imavov’s sensational knockout over Adesanya was as impressive as they come, that’s not to say that the finishing sequence was without controversy; albeit only minor.
Just a few seconds before that final KO shot, the fight was briefly halted after Israel Adesanya suffered an eye-poke from Imavov’s outstretched fingers – but how bad was that accidental foul?
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Israel Adesanya suffered eye-poke 10 seconds before KO loss
Just 15 seconds into the second round of their UFC Saudi Arabia main event, referee Marc Goddard called a stop to the contest after Nassourdine Imavov accidentally eye-poked Adesanya.
‘The Last Stylebender’ was quick to wave away Goddard, telling the veteran official that he was good to continue; a few moments later, Imavov landed a monstrous overhand right to drop, then finish the former middleweight champion.
Fans on social media immediately began to condemn the eye-poke as well as Adesanya’s decision not to take more time to recover; with the fight-ending overhand coming from the same side as the accidental foul.
Speaking via Submission Radio, coach Mike Angove has now admitted that the eye-poke – whilst distracting in the moment – cannot be blamed for the shock underdog upset.
“No [it didn’t affect the outcome], he just got caught and flicked in the eye, you know, it does put you off momentarily, but he could see clearly enough when it came to reset. It’s just one of those things that you’ve got to be very careful [about].
“An experienced pro will cramp the distance when the referee breaks something and you have to make sure that you create your own space, you reset or circle back to center ring.
“But when you’re in the heat of the moment and you want to put the pressure on, which is what happened, that’s just what happens in a fight. We just had to deal with it.”
In conversation with ESPN MMA after the fight, Adesanya admitted that he probably should have taken more time to recover before telling Goddard that he was okay to continue.
“The thrill and agony… I felt good, in round one I was in control of everything. In hindsight, maybe I should have taken some time [after the eye poke] but I just didn’t want him to rest because I knew he was tired, but [hindsight is always] 20/20.”
Marc Goddard explains what he considers before stopping fights
A few days before UFC Saudi Arabia, Marc Goddard filmed a podcast with UFC legend Michael Bisping and explained what he considers internally before calling a halt to fights.
“If I’m gonna step in to stop the fight, what I’m believing in my mind at that time is that the fighter is in an unreasonable position to further protect himself,” shared the veteran official.
“I never wanna stop a fight. I would love to go into every fight, let it go three or five rounds, and the judges do their job. Guess what? That’s not the world we live in.
“I’ll always say the same thing to a fighter regardless – it’s the last thing I say to them in the dressing room. I say to them, ‘If I believe you’re in trouble, compromised, or hurt, please just do one thing for me, keep turning and looking for your opponent because then I understand two things.”
“Number one, you’re hurt but you still know what’s happening. Number two, more importantly, I know you still wanna be in the fight [as] a lot of fighters are giving you a subtle hint that they want out of there.”
Goddard, who famously once called Adesanya vs Gastelum the most ‘ungodly’ title fight he’s ever officiated, explained how whilst he’ll always give fighters a chance to recover, there are certain positions that are ‘red flags’ to referees.
“I say, ‘If I can’t see you, I can’t read you. But if I can see what you are doing constantly to make a bad position good, I’m gonna give you every chance to stay in the fight. If your back is turned and you can’t see things coming, yeah, I’m on the cusp of making a call.’”