LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – There was some controversy during Raphael Assuncao’s loss.
Assuncao fought his final fight tonight (Sat., Mar. 11, 2023) at UFC Las Vegas from inside The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada. After being up two rounds, the Brazilian was submitted by Davey Grant via a wild come-from-behind reverse triangle. (Watch Highlights!)
While the finish was very memorable and will be on many end-of-the-year lists, there was some controversy before it.
Grant had a point taken away for grabbing the fence, and instead of returning them to the position they were in before the point deduction, the referee stood them up, which led to Grant landing a knockdown shortly after and then the finish.
Assuncao’s coach, Eric Nicksick, issued a statement to MMAMania.com about the controversial referee mistake.
“First and foremost, congrats to Davey Grant for finding a way to get a finish with seconds left for a comeback victory,” Nicksick said via text message. “Those moments are the reason why we all love this sport the way we do; at any moment, someone has the ability to find a way to win. With that being said, it was on us to complete the 15 minutes to win the fight, and we failed to do so.”
“In the questionable restarting position, I was told that Raphael wasn’t on top, so it was decided to take the point and start from neutral. I disagree with that assessment because when you watch it through, Raphael completed the takedown despite the fence grab. At the very least, it would’ve made more sense to allow them to restart from an over/under or a single leg position, but certainly from a similar position that represented the position before restart. Keith Peterson is a marvelous MMA referee, and I have always felt good knowing he’s in charge of one of our fights. Although I may disagree with the call, I know and understand that Keith did his job to the best of his abilities to the rules given, and I’ll continue to be happy to see Keith as our referee in the future.”
It is not known if Assuncao will look to take further action.
After the submission loss, the Brazilian laid down his gloves and retired with a 28-10 record.
Raphael Assuncao calls it a career after his loss to Davey Grant#UFCLasVegas pic.twitter.com/NUYUM4IJbu
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) March 11, 2023
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