UFC heavyweight Ovince Saint Preux says he will appeal his KO loss to Tanner Boser following the controversial ending to the UFC Vegas 30 co-main event.
After a lackluster first round, the tide of the fight seemed to be shifting in Saint Preux’s favour when he landed a takedown on Boser and gained side control. As Boser attempted to get back to his feet, he appeared to grab the fence.
Referee Michael Herzog briefly placed his hand on Saint Preux’s back before allowing the fight to proceed. Boser subsequently gained standing position prior to landing a crushing knee and ending the fight with a flurry of punches.
Ovince Saint Preux Will Seek To Overturn Loss As “No Contest”
While replays appeared to show Boser did not in fact grab the fence, Saint Preux said that his team intends to file an appeal with the Nevada Athletic Commission to have the result overturned.
“I felt the ref put his hand on my back, which is only done to pause the action or call a finish,” Saint Preux said in a statement to MMA Fighting. I slightly paused and then the tide turned. We will be protesting and requesting a no-contest.”
As per the Nevada Athletic Commission rules, in the absence of a positive drug test a bout can be overturned in the case of collusion, scoring error, or misapplication of the rules by the referee. However, such calls are typically deferred to the referee’s discretion.
The loss to Boser was Saint Preux’s second in as many fights, having lost to Jamahal Hill at light heavyweight late last year. And it hasn’t been a good run so far for the Haitian-American at heavyweight. His defeat to Boser was his second in as many fights in the division, having lost to Ben Rothwell via split decision in May last year.
What do you think? Did Tanner Boser actually grab the fence in his fight with Ovince Saint Preux?
