It looks like Fabricio Werdum’s appeal paid off. His loss to Renan Ferreira at PFL 3 was overturned by The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board.
ESPN first reported the decision Monday afternoon that the controversial loss from the PFL 3 main event at the Ocean Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey was overturned.
When heavyweights Werdum and Ferreira faced off, the two men clashed and Werdum was able to secure a takedown. Ferreira was able to reverse the position, only to wind up in the guard of Werdum where he locked in a triangle choke submission. Ferreira tapped Werdum’s shoulder twice, which prompted him to loosen the submission but since Referee Keith Peterson did not see the tap, the fight was not stopped. Ferreira then decided to bombard Werdum with strikes, leading to the first-round stoppage that awarded Werdum the victory.
In his post fight interview, Werdum expressed frustration and said, “He knows he tapped.” Later, during the post event press conference it was said that the appeal was filed and the NJ State Athletic control board would be reviewing the situation, and it seems things have worked out in the former UFC champion’s favor.
The ESPN report also said that Petereson wrote, if he did see the tap “he would have likely had stopped the contest,” and awarded Werdum the victory.
Following the decision of the NJ State Athletic Board, the PFL also announced that, “Per the PFL rules, both fighters receive 1 point in the heavyweight standings.”
The decision puts Werdum at number four, and Ferreira at number five. The top four fighters in any weight class advance to the playoffs when the regular season is over. So, Werdum still has his shot at the $1-million-dollar grand prize for now.
Do you think the decision was fair?
