Anthony Smith has been across the combat recreation lengthy sufficient to acknowledge a knockout and he believes that’s completely not what occurred to Rodolfo Bellato on Saturday evening at UFC Atlanta.
The controversial ending to the featured prelim got here after Bellato ate an unlawful upkick from Paul Craig simply earlier than the horn sounded to shut the primary spherical. The kick related and Bellato fell backwards and it appeared he was protesting to the referee in regards to the unlawful blow.
Then a break up second later, Bellato all of the sudden fell unconscious earlier than he awakened once more and tried grappling with the referee earlier than the combat was stopped. Ultimately, referee Kevin McDonald declared the combat a no-contest, however Smith doesn’t purchase that Bellato was knocked out in that prompt.
“It was an excellent combat up till the best way that it ended all bizarre,” Smith mentioned throughout the UFC Atlanta put up combat present. “Paul Craig was actually forcing the takedowns, he finally ends up taking pictures the takedown, pulls guard, the spherical ends and he throws an upkick whereas Bellato, he has a knee down. In order that’s an unlawful strike. I’m going to be laborious right here. I’m going to be laborious on Bellato.
“Because the upkick occurs, he seems to the referee to see if the referee realized that was unlawful. He seems proper to him. You see his eyes come to the referee to protest after which realizes perhaps I can get a free win. Lays there, pretends he’s unconscious, jolts again awake allegedly. Referee comes over. That may be a man who’s awake, pretends to grapple the referee as if he’s unconscious, attempting to get an inexpensive win. I’ve been doing this a very long time and I do know what it seems like when any individual’s faking it.”
Smith watched one other model of the replay and doubled down on his perception that Bellato was faking the knockout after the unlawful shot landed.
Whereas he doesn’t dispute that Craig threw and related with an unlawful kick, Smith doesn’t purchase that Bellato was truly that harm given his response.
“He’s going to look to the referee, ‘Oh my god that’s unlawful! Oh I higher fake I’m unconscious,” Smith mentioned doing play-by-play whereas rewatching the combat. “The jolt again awake. That is the worst efficiency I’ve ever seen. The referee is aware of this isn’t actually occurring. I really feel actually dangerous for Paul Craig.
“We’re laughing about it and joking as a result of it’s so foolish what occurred right here with Rodolfo Bellato and Paul Craig however Paul Craig, though he did break the foundations. We now have to deal with that. He did break the foundations. It wasn’t intentional. However that’s a combat that seemingly might have continued. I’m not going to fake I’m in his head and might inform how dangerous it truly did harm. He positively was not unconscious and harm as he was pretending to be. That’s for positive.”
The combat between Craig and Bellato was beforehand rescheduled after the matchup was scrapped just some weeks in the past as a result of Bellato being recognized with herpes. The UFC then rebooked the combat for Saturday’s card in Atlanta the place an odd knockout led to the no-contest.
As a lot as Smith acknowledged that Craig did unsuitable with the unlawful kick, he nonetheless doesn’t consider the veteran mild heavyweight deserved to have his evening finish in such a weird and unsatisfying method.
“I do really feel for Paul Craig,” Smith mentioned. “He labored actually laborious to push this combat an entire different month to in the end not have a outcome.”
