UFC Quick Quote: Anthony Johnson to appeal loss to Kevin Burns
by MMAmania.com on Jul 24, 2008 9:47 AM EDT
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"I'm going to appeal it and my agent, Ken Pavia, is going to appeal it and Dana thought it was bullshit whether it was unintentional or not. I don't think the UFC wants fights to end that way. Right now, we just want to get this whole situation taken care of in the right way, but I would love a rematch! I was pretty disappointed in the TKO call. Burns was a test and they put a decent grappler against a decent striker and I think I held my own because he never came close to pulling off a submission on me. Everyone knows what type of person I am and this won't set me back."
-- Anthony Johnson confirms with FightHype.com that he and his manager intend to appeal the technical knockout loss to Kevin Burns at UFC Fight Night 14 with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). Video replays of the third round stoppage show that "Rumble" was felled by an unintentional eye poke and not an uppercut. The referee in charge of the action, however, did not have the benefit of watching instant replay and called a halt to the 170-pound bout.
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I was suprised he was getting beat anyway wasnt he? all i though was what about the people who had bet on him! He was huge favorite and people would of lost there bets.
by Tony on Jul 24, 2008 9:49 AM EDT reply actions
Johnson was getting beat? He was destroying Pokey. Johnson was nailing him with combinations and taking him down at will. Pokey’s only offense was, surprise surprise, the eye poke. That fight was well on its way to being an easy 30-27 decision for Johnson before Il Moustache intervened.
by PW on Jul 24, 2008 10:00 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, the fight wasnt even close. Rogan tried saying that the 1st round was close, but I cant imagine the 1st round not being awarded to Rumble. Props to Rumble for staying Classy through a horrible call that cost him about $10,000 (“Stay Classy San Deigo” -Ron Burgandy! lol)
As for a remtach, I could care less, I hope that it NEVER happens. Whats the point, it wasnt even a close fight, Mr. Moustach screws up another fight. Rumble should forget the rematch and move on to bigger challenges, for Example: Marcus davis.
Rumble vs. Marcus Davis = FIREWORKS!!!
by john on Jul 24, 2008 10:15 AM EDT up reply actions
I thought it seemed fairly obvious that Johnson was winning the fight on points. On a side note, the award for coining the best nickname for a fighter goes to……PW, hands down.
by Scott on Jul 24, 2008 4:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Johnson clearly won the first 2 rounds. He wasn’t destroying him by any means, but he WAS winning. And given how many eye pokes happened, I think it should have been a dq. A no contest would at least get rid of the stink of bullshit.
by yohnstoppable on Jul 24, 2008 10:30 AM EDT up reply actions
Bullsh#t Anthony was winning the stand up and taking Burns down whenever he wanted to.
by Tony D on Jul 24, 2008 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions
Strange ending to the fight, and indeed unfortunate for Anthony. He showed real class afterwards, and I agree that it should be overturned. Rule it an NC and let’s get the man his re-match going.
by WebGarden on Jul 24, 2008 9:49 AM EDT reply actions
And I don’t think Pokey deserves a rematch with Johnson. There was no question who the superior fighter was. If I’m Dana White/Joe Silva I might give Pokey a 4K/4K fight against some other UFC debutante but no way does he ever get a high profile match again.
by PW on Jul 24, 2008 10:03 AM EDT up reply actions
PW: I completely agree! No reason to waste our times on a rematch. the fight was not even close. Rumble was 1 minute away from winning a unanimous decision, so lets just move on.
The CSAC needs to overturn the decision and award the win to Rumble….I will be pissed if the fight is ruled a no contest. Any decision other than a win for rumble just wont do! He won that fight, it already cost him about $10,000….give Rumble the win that he earned and lets move forward.
I would like to see rumble vs. Marcus Davis, but I am not sure if Rumble is ready for Marcus. Maybe this match up should wait, but down the line, this is a must see fight….Joe Silva, I hope u r taking notes!
by john on Jul 24, 2008 10:23 AM EDT up reply actions
I started watching this fight seconds before the gouge. I don’t know who was winning but I agree it should have been a no-contest. I also heard that Burns was warned repeatedly (From the announcers) by the referee. If this is the case Burns should be DQ’d and Johnson should get the win.
by Shadyone33 on Jul 24, 2008 10:00 AM EDT reply actions
Someone should assess whether Kevin Burns should be allowed to continue to fight. He is not able to clench his fist after the bad break he suffered, which means his lead hand will always be open. Basically its going to keep on happening.
by Billy Boy on Jul 24, 2008 10:01 AM EDT reply actions
I’m glad to see the appeal. It was a horrible ending to a fight. Especially considering AJ was winning all the rounds. It would be in the best interest of all parties to call this a no contest!
by Drew on Jul 24, 2008 10:04 AM EDT reply actions
F that! Why should it be a no contest? Numerous eye gouges with the referee warning Burns numerous times should equal a win for Rumble…any other outcome wont do, even a no contest is unacceptable!
by john on Jul 24, 2008 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions
by b.w. on Jul 24, 2008 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions
Totally. I what I found weird.. in the post fight interview with Joe.. Burns mentions that is the only way he can throw a jab.. is with his hand open. ? I mean come on.. a finger in an eye is devestating..that’s why there illegal.. even back in the SEG/UFC days.. Eye poking was illegal. Burns pokes himself a win
by PhilQNY on Jul 24, 2008 10:23 AM EDT up reply actions
Dana really has to consider the future of an MMA fighter who cannot make a fist to jab. This type of accident is bound to happen again.
by DJ on Jul 24, 2008 10:09 AM EDT reply actions
I would say DQ Burns give Johnson the win and let him move on. Give Burns another fight, but if the “palm jab” puts another eye out then he’s got to go.
by O damn he got caught on Jul 24, 2008 10:16 AM EDT reply actions
They eye gouges will be a problem for Burns throughout the rest of his career. he broke his left hands 3 times, so he can only strike with the palm, which means he is going to continue to poke opponents in the eye, which just isnt fair. I understand he has a good excuse, but come on. How many more of his fights will get ruined for poking his opponents in the eye?
He needs to stick to grappling and avoid the stand up as much as possible….. Not helping his case is that he basically told the world about his hand being broken 3 times, whicvh means all his future opponents can basically ignore his left hand in the striking aspect of a fight….He is at a huge disadvantage because he came out and said it!
Il ike him as a fighter, and i agree that he should be given another opportunity in the UFC, but he cant keep poking his opponents in the eye
by john on Jul 24, 2008 10:20 AM EDT up reply actions
Ha, well they can almost ignore the left hand.. Just they might get poked in the eye. The Burns secret weapon of destruction.
by O damn he got caught on Jul 24, 2008 10:23 AM EDT up reply actions
Maybe he should do what Edwin Duwees..does. There is nothing wrong his hand, but in his stand up.. he jabs with his legs.. maybe Burns should strat incorporating that into his training.
by PhilQNY on Jul 24, 2008 10:26 AM EDT up reply actions
Just imagine if Rumble suffered a career-ending injury and Burns continues on with is “palm jab.” Opponents would continuously worry about being poked vs being beaten… whether the ref would see it, etc. I’m sorry but Mr. Burns should not ever enter the ring again.
by DJ on Jul 24, 2008 6:39 PM EDT up reply actions
If you can’t make a fist you should not be fighting. he’s a hazard to all the fighters and a walking legal liability for the ufc. Burns admitted he was gouging him yet he threw one poke after another. My memory is a little foggy right now but didn’t he chase after anthony after the last poke that left him screaming and writhing on the ground? that’s dirtbag stuff. even when guys hit another fighter in the nuts they stop fighting and apologize.
by Gregg on Jul 24, 2008 10:43 AM EDT up reply actions
True, kinda gives you the impression that maybe the eye poke was completely unintentional. Not saying it was planned but he definatley jumped right on Johnson to try and make it look like a TKO. And I think you’d know if you caught someone real good, I’m sure he knew the uppercut didn’t connect and him sure he knew the palm didn’t hit flush either. So yea, jumping on a guy you just poked in the eye is kinda dirt bag like.
by O damn he got caught on Jul 24, 2008 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions
“*wasn’t completely unintentional” in regards to the eyepoke..
by O damn he got caught on Jul 24, 2008 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions
actually, alot of fighters use an open hand jab or slaps. chuck does it alot, tommy spears did it to george on tuf. some guys do it to get measure on another fighter. burns does it way to much, so maybee the move itself should be against the rules, not just for burns, but for all fighters.
by b.w. on Jul 24, 2008 11:04 AM EDT up reply actions
Bw: Did u just really bring up Tommy Spears’s striking? LMAO! My sister has better stand up than he does! lol
by john on Jul 24, 2008 11:30 AM EDT up reply actions
so does my grandma. lol. i was actually bring up the eye-poke. i wouldnt consider that an actual strike.
by b.w. on Jul 24, 2008 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions
With a proper shocker he could get both eyes at once. LOL
by PW on Jul 24, 2008 10:39 AM EDT up reply actions
He may only be able to throw a left jab with an open hand, but the eye poke itself didn’t look like a jab to me; it looked like he was measuring the distance for a right hand.
Not that it matters; I agree that it should have been a DQ.
by Todd on Jul 24, 2008 10:30 AM EDT reply actions
The only thing that i can size up is that it was in the third round….. When you watch the Scott Smith Robbie Lawler fight the announcers state that if the eye poke takes place in the 1st or 2nd round it is ruled a no contest…. but in the third it isnt…. It still makes absolutely no sense if the guy won by an illegal shot and earns a TKO victory??? I mean UFC is supposedly tight on rules but there letting a lot of things go these days.
by Toad on Jul 24, 2008 10:34 AM EDT reply actions
The Smith-Lawler fight was a 5-round championship fight. Johnson-Pokey was a three-rounder. That rule has to do with how far into the fight they are. In Johnson’s case, it happened a minute or two from the end of the fight. A proper ruling would have been to either disqualify Pokey outright or deduct a point and send it to the judges, where the score would have been 30-26 across the board.
by PW on Jul 24, 2008 10:42 AM EDT up reply actions
Do you honestly still not understand how things work between the UFC and the SACs? The UFC is not “letting things go”. It’s up to the SAC to fix Il Moustache’s mistake, and they won’t likely do anything unless Rumble appeals. The UFC is encouraging Rumble to make the appeal.
by Joe Smith on Jul 24, 2008 10:54 AM EDT up reply actions
aj was clearly winning, i think if he didnt fall on the floor the ref wouldve gave him time to recover
by Willy on Jul 24, 2008 10:36 AM EDT reply actions
If the ref had seen the eye poke, Johnson would have had 5 minutes to recover. Then being unable to continue he would have won by DQ, just like Okami did against Anderson Silva (due to an illegal up-kick).
The commission should review to tape and overturn to decision and award the win to Johnson. If Burns can’t throw a closed fist jab, then maybe he shouldn’t throw any at all and possibly consider a different line of work.
by JRK on Jul 24, 2008 10:41 AM EDT reply actions
JRK is right. Win should go to Johnson. Pokey was warned.
by pacalis on Jul 24, 2008 10:47 AM EDT reply actions
What a CRYBABY johnson is! You lost, get over it!
by LanceLegweak on Jul 24, 2008 10:56 AM EDT reply actions
Did you actually watch the fight or read any of the comments on here? This is a little more than complaining that he lost a fight 29-28 when he thought he won 29-28.
by PW on Jul 24, 2008 11:19 AM EDT up reply actions
Are you serious? If you watched the fight, which I kind of doubt, you would have seen that he took the whole thing very well. He was the one that told the crowd to stop booing Pokey (love that nickname), and that it was an accident, blah blah. It was a terrible decision and he got fawkin’ robbed, he’s simply using the appeal process to try and rectify it. I fail to see anything at all wrong with that.
by Scott on Jul 24, 2008 11:25 AM EDT up reply actions
A palm strike would have his hand perpendicular to the ground.
His hand was parallel to the ground with his fingers sticking out.
At full speed I could tell he was doing this at least 5-6 times before the second gouge. How could the ref NOT see this numerous times and do something about it first?
That guy shouldn’t even be in the UFC fighting like that.
by KS on Jul 24, 2008 11:04 AM EDT reply actions
He definitely should appeal that ridiculous loss. And I agree with the comments above stating this could continue to be a problem in Burns’ fights.
by SeeRed on Jul 24, 2008 11:32 AM EDT reply actions
Johnson was classy after the fight. I would have been seriously pissed! Props to him for keeping his cool.
by SeeRed on Jul 24, 2008 11:33 AM EDT reply actions
The UFC shoulde step in and pay him his win bonus.
by Mike on Jul 24, 2008 11:40 AM EDT reply actions
Are you people kidding me!!!! Appeal a loss in a fight, what a joke, I guarantee his appeal is thrown out the window because he flailed around like his mama died then belly flopped on his face and layed there. Nobody but him knew his eye almost got poked out. All other fighters do not do that when poked it the eye!!!! Look at randy coture, vitor belfort ripped his eye lid in half with a poke and they stopped the fight as a result, he didnt fall on his face and lay there. This is simply a result of his perfect record being tarnished and complete inexperience….
by Dababymaker on Jul 24, 2008 11:47 AM EDT reply actions
Couture was not poked in the eye, the fabric on Belforts glove cut his eye on a near miss right hand. Johnson didn’t go into this fight with a perfect rec either, he lost to Clementi before this fight. And the comparison between missing a closed fisted right hand and cutting someone with your glove, or throwing a palm strike and shoving your index finger into someone’s eye is pretty weak..
by O damn he got caught on Jul 24, 2008 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions
“Nobody but him knew his eye almost got poked out.”
Umm, only a few tools like you and Mazzagati didn’t know it was an eye poke. I give Maz a bit of slack b/c he didn’t have the TV angle, but I thought it was obvious, as did most ppl who saw it on TV.
by Pat on Jul 24, 2008 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Are YOU kidding ME!!!! This is clearly not a legitimate win for Burns. If Rampage were to appeal his loss to Griffin, I would agree with you, but this is completely different. Even if at the time, Rumble was the only one who knew it was an eyepoke, we all clearly saw it in the replay. They definitely can’t let TKO victories via illegal moves stand.
This should be a DQ, the arguments for going to the scorecards or making it a NC would make more sense if he hadn’t already poked him in the eye so many times.
As for Rumble flailing around after the eyepoke: You can’t compare this eyepoke with most eyepkes: Most eyepokes aren’t so deep. Rumble didn’t flail around on the first few eyepokes, just the last one because it was super deep.
Next thing you’ll be saying is that Terry Martin should’ve lost at Adrenaline 1 via kicks to the groin.
by Joe Smith on Jul 24, 2008 1:57 PM EDT up reply actions
LOL POKEY. its a funny name but you guys are being stupid
about it. He didnt intentionally poke him in the eye. and dont gang up saying everyone knew it was an eye Poke. I sure didnt notice. i was deep into watching fight and maybe i wasnt watching for it. As for (KS) to say he shouldnt be fighting in the UCF, you dont know a thing. why dont they just throw everyone out of the UFC that throws a LOW BLOW twice in a row.lol stupid comment.
Burns is one helluva fighter as you all maybe have seen but sure dont sound like you want to give him credit for. Yeah i disagree witht he call. it should have been a NC but thats the refs fault to blame, Not POKEY’s. that guy can take a punch.
thats obviously why rumble started to take him down. So dont be
Dissin’ a fighter because of a lousy ref! A rematch would be fireworks again.
by retard on Jul 24, 2008 1:32 PM EDT reply actions
I don’t think it’s fair to compare a predisposition in the way Pokey strikes with his left hand to an accidental low blow. If the guy can’t throw a clean strike with his palm (tucking in his fingers and thumb) then I have to agree that he has no business fighting. As painful as the groin shots are, that’s nothing compared to the potential of losing an eye. I have to think that even four shots to the groin in a fight would at least get points taken away if not disqualified, yet Pokey got him at least four times in the eye that I counted without any penalty. You just don’t accidentally poke someone in the eye four times, he admitted to striking in that fashion for fear of breaking his hand. I believe it’s completely irresponsible of him to risk a serious permanent injury to another fighter because of his own failure to throw a clean strike with the palm.
by Scott on Jul 24, 2008 2:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Totally agree. It seems as though 3 shots to the groin is grounds for a DQ. It’s now officially called “getting Terry Martin’d”.
To the aptly named poster “retard”: I think you’re a little confused. Most people aren’t blaming Pokey for the fact that it wasn’t called as an NC or DQ, they blame him for the fact that he continued to through sloppy palm strikes knowing there was a very high chance of him poking Rumble in the eye again. We’re blaming Pornstache for the bad call. And even so, part of me doesn’t really blame him Pornstachio for anything. Il’ ‘stache-y was in good position, just on the wrong side to see the eye poke. I don’t think anyone’s claiming to have known it was an eye poke right away, but the replay definitely proves it. It’s not really ’stache’s fault: from his point of view there was no eye poke and if you let fakers get away with fakin’ everything will go downhill. On the flip side if you let people win by TKO via illegal strikes, everything goes downhill. So, it was best for ‘stache to call what he saw at the time, but now the SAC has to make it right by calling this a DQ, otherwise they’ll be implicitly encouring further “accidental” illegal strikes.
by Joe Smith on Jul 24, 2008 8:43 PM EDT up reply actions
I think that the outcome will be overturned. How could it not be? Even Burns basically admitted that he was jabbing without making a fist because he has broken his hand so often.
by Muscle Dolphin on Jul 24, 2008 2:01 PM EDT reply actions
Hope he’s able to make something out of it. His loss was really a clear case for the flaws of current scoring system.
by Fedor Emelianenko instructional DVD on Jul 24, 2008 4:35 PM EDT reply actions
Really what is he going to gain by the appeal beside pissing off the powers that be. Push the issue and he will be out of the UFC. This was not a memorable fight, nor are either of these fighters, so save the nicknames
by holmz on Jul 24, 2008 5:06 PM EDT reply actions
Really?? He’ll be kicked out of the UFC? Even the UFC thinks it’s a BS call and they’re encouraging him to appeal? That’s interesting logic.
by Joe Smith on Jul 24, 2008 8:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Holmz Dana White told Anthony Johnson to appeal cause White thought it was a BS call. How is he gonna get kicked out of the UFC???
by O damn he got caught on Jul 25, 2008 9:12 AM EDT up reply actions
IMO i believe he will win the appeal and have the fight ruled a no contest.
by dirtydarkin on Jul 24, 2008 7:27 PM EDT reply actions
MMAMANIA or anybody, what happens betting wise if this is overturned? Will the results if you won or lost your bet change with teh appeal if it is a no contest or soemthing?
by The Anomaly on Jul 24, 2008 11:54 PM EDT reply actions
Sad BS…worst call I’ve seen in a long time. In any other martial art illegal strikes that cause injury sufficient to stop a fight are punished with disqualification, not victory. Especially after repeated warnings.
Please don’t believe that the UFC represents the true spirit of martial arts in any form other than the actual fighting.
Reminds me of the worst things in boxing, blatantly suspect calls and a clear focus on how to hype up the inevitable rematch.
And jeez, how bout some new ring chicks…damn…. LOL
by illa on Jul 25, 2008 7:59 PM EDT reply actions
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