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Why wasn't the fight paused, instead of stopped?
That's one of the big questions coming out of last weekend's The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 17 Finale in Las Vegas, Nevada, where top heavyweight contender Travis Browne put Gabriel Gonzaga down with several elbows to the head. While the first couple of strikes were legal, there is at least one that was straight to the back of the skull.
Moments later, the fight was stopped.
"Hapa" was declared the winner by knockout and even took home an extra $50,000 for his efforts.
But Team "Napao" wants to know why the foul, which occurred before the fight was stopped, didn't prompt referee Chris Tognoni to halt the action and send Browne to his corner, giving Gonzaga the opportunity to recover?
Probably because he instead ruled it a knockout.
That doesn't sit well with Marco Alvan, head Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor for Team Link in Ludlow, Massachusetts, who took to his Facebook page to let Gonzaga fans know they were turning this one over to the commission.
Guys Gabriel Gonzaga is ok, thanks for the messages. I need to review it to count how many illegal elbows but Its a fact that it was illegal. I contacted Keith Kizer head of Nevada Athletic Commission and he told me to file a complaint and he would review it. I true believe it was illegal. I never complaint about a losses who knows me know that I handle it good but illegal we can not accept.
Here is the video Alvan posted on his page.
This video is clear about the elbow. I very hope the commission look it carefully and make a correct decision about it. We respect Travis and his camp but it was a sad night. We hope this result can be fixed and get a new fight between them.
The issue at hand is not whether or not Gonzaga would have won the fight and "Bro, he was clearly out after the first elbow" is not the debate, either. Just because a fighter is unconscious, does not make it okay to foul him. It's also not an attack on Browne, who nobody believes is, or was, a dirty fighter.
It's about the application of the unified rules of mixed martial arts.
We've established that a foul has occurred before the end of the fight. What we haven't established, is what to do about it. That's up to Keith Kizer and the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) if and when Team Gonzaga follows through with its appeal.
You can bet Jessamyn Duke, who suffered a similar fate at Invicta FC 5, will be keeping a close eye on this one.
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