UFC Atlantic City went down last weekend and tied the record for most knockouts in a single event. One fight that was originally declared as a TKO victory but later overturned to a technical decision was Chris Weidman vs Bruno Silva.
Chris Weidman returned to the cage for the second time since his horrific leg injury to take on Bruno Silva in New Jersey. In a match-up that had many fans worried for the All-American, Weidman fared well throughout the bout. Nullifying Silva’s power well and showing his leg was no issue constantly landing heavy kicks.
Weidman would score the victory albeit in an incredibly controversial fashion. As was a theme of the fight, the former middleweight champion landed several debilitating eye pokes on Silva. This caused Silva to halt the action several times with referee Gary Copeland receiving plenty of backlash for not seeing the incidents.
The most damaging eye poke came in the third and final round. With three pokes already going unpunished. The ending sequence saw Chris Weidman land not one, but two on Bruno Silva. The Brazilian dropped immediately to the canvas as Weidman landed a barrage of blows forcing the former policeman Copeland to end the bout.
Announced to the crowd as a TKO victory for the fan-favourite, it was quickly amended to a technical decision scoring the bout 30-27 to Weidman on all three scorecards. Although less controversial the two minutes remaining and lack of point deductions have caught the ire of many.
Bruno Silva To Appeal Controversial Loss to Chris Weidman
The main proprietor of displeasure was of course the man on the losing side on the night Bruno Silva. Visibly fuming at the loss in-cage. Silva’s fury only grew the longer the bout remained as a loss on his record.
Taking to Instagram the ironically nicknamed ‘Blindado’ had the following to say in a now translated post.
“This is a post that I didn’t want to be making today. The world saw what happened yesterday, but I am a man when I lose, and a man when I win. However, what happened yesterday was very unfair and frustrating. I am not in this sport for fame but for my legacy,”
“In the locker room before the fights, the referees always go through the rules and make it clear that fighters must keep their fists closed or point their fingers upwards throughout the fight. He had his fingers towards my eye the whole fight, three times he poked my eye, the last time I fell in pain. The finger didn’t just graze, the video makes that very clear. The fight was evenly matched, in my view it was a tie, with almost the entire third round still to go,”
“I just want the commission to review this result, and that fairness prevails. Thank you all for the messages of support and respect. This fight must have a rematch, our 15 minutes are not over yet,” Ending his tirade.
Do you think Chirs Weidman vs Bruno Silva should be declared a no-contest?
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
