Kevin Ferguson Jr. didn’t get back into the win column after all.
Kevin Ferguson Jr.’s first-round TKO at Bellator 232 is no more.
The fighter known as ‘Baby Slice’ finished his opponent Craig Campbell with a flurry of nasty elbows on Saturday, Oct. 29. However, the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation reviewed footage from the win, and assessed that the fight-ending sequence was illegal. On Monday, the athletic body overturned the TKO win to a no-contest.
“In the case of the above-referenced bout, upon review of the tape, we have determined that the injury that stopped the bout was the result of an accidental foul; elbows to the back of the head,” MTDAR President Michael Mazzulli wrote, per MMA Fighting. “Since the bout was stopped in the first round of a bout scheduled for three rounds, we have determined that the result of the bout must be changed to ‘no-contest.’”
Bellator commentator and veteran referee John McCarthy had a different take during the show’s live braodcast. He noted that one of the blows appeared to be illegal, but said Campbell was in motion during the fight-ending sequence. The knockout shot appeared to land on the jaw.
With the ruling, Ferguson Jr.’s record has moved from 4-2 to 3-2 (1 NC).