Herb Dean says he is certain he made the right call in stopping the Adriano Moraes vs. Phumi Nkuta bout at MVP MMA 1, despite the controversy surrounding the finish.
Moraes sank in a rear-naked choke in the final seconds of Round 3, with Nkuta going unconscious just before the bell rang. Moraes was awarded the win at 4:59 of the third round, but the timing of the stoppage immediately drew debate. Dean addressed the decision on The Ariel Helwani Show.
I’m certain that the right decision was made. Definitely sure that he went unconscious before the bell — like, a fraction of a second before the bell — and then I went and stopped the fight. He held on for a fraction of a second past the bell. I don’t think it was egregious enough for me to disqualify him.
Dean also addressed why Moraes may have continued holding the choke past the bell.
Each fight is the most important fight of your career, and you have seconds to lock something in. Who knows where his mind was at? He’s fighting for everything, for his whole career, and giving it everything he’s got. Sometimes it takes a second for someone to realize it’s over.
Nkuta’s manager has filed a formal appeal of the result with the California State Athletic Commission. The outcome of that appeal remains uncertain.
Loading tweet...
Loading tweet...