There is no doubt that UFC 159: Jones Vs Sonnen was one of the stranger UFC cards we have witnessed in a long time. Most notably, the event had two fights end in technical decision which was a first in UFC history. Many fans were outraged when the referee Kevin Mulhall stopped the bout between Ovince St. Preux and Gian Villante almost instantaneously after Villante was the victim of an accidental eye poke. New Jersey State Athletic Control Board counsel Nick Lembo spoke about the decision, and noted Mulhall was within the rules but he probably should have allotted more time for Villante to recover.
Lembo told MMAJunkie:
“Technically, [Mulhall] was within the rules. When a fighter is repetitive that he cannot see, the referee is within his rights to stop the fight. But I would prefer that when a fighter is subject to an eye poke and the referee properly notices the foul – and assuming that they call it an accidental foul – if the fighter says that he can’t see, initially, that you call time. We have ringside physicians there, and if a medical evaluation is necessary, I would prefer that it be performed by the doctor and a decision be made at that point.”
“For a point of reference on the same show, I would look to how Herb Dean handled Bisping and Belcher in a similar situation with an eye poke. Ruled it accidental. Called time. Noted the foul. Put the fighters in neutral corners and then called in the ringside physician to evaluate the eye – then let the physician advise the referee whether or not to continue the fight or let the fighter have some more time because the fighter is not guaranteed five minutes, but the physician has up to five minutes for an accidental eye poke.”
The post NJACB Counsel Nick Lembo: “Ref Kevin Mulhall was within the rules” appeared first on Fighters.com.
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