Cody Brundage isn’t happening with out a battle after an unintentional head butt led to a stoppage in his battle at UFC Atlanta however in the end the evening ended with a loss on his document somewhat than a disqualification or a no-contest.
The incident occurred in his battle in opposition to Mansur Abdul-Malik this previous Saturday evening after the middleweights engaged in a wild brawl to kickoff the ultimate spherical. Because the fighters had been unloading a barrage of punches, Abdul-Malik dove ahead and his head clashed with Brundage and despatched him crashing to the canvas.
Abdul-Malik adopted up with a number of extra punches earlier than the referee may rush in to cease the battle. Replays confirmed {that a} head butt somewhat than a authorized strike put Brundage down however the referee in the end determined to ship the battle to the scorecards, which led to Abdul-Malik successful a technical resolution.
“It didn’t even damage me, it simply took my legs,” Brundage instructed MMA Preventing in regards to the head butt. “It buzzed me a bit of bit, my legs had been gone so I dropped. I used to be overlaying up, Mansur’s greatest potential is to complete a battle when somebody’s damage so after I was beneath, he’s raining down punches and I don’t need to transfer and make myself susceptible however I wasn’t damage. I used to be positively there.
“I’m probably not fairly positive why I wasn’t given 5 minutes [to recover]. Simply quite a lot of issues occurred however I used to be by no means actually out of it. As quickly because the battle ends I inform the referee after he pulled the man off me, I used to be prefer it was a head butt. Instantly was protesting, I by no means went out. It was tremendous irritating.”
As irritating because it was that an unlawful strike ended the battle, Brundage simply didn’t perceive how his battle received scored after an identical incident unfolded earlier within the evening between Paul Craig and Renato Bellato however that bout was declared a no-contest.
Whereas he doesn’t blame Abdul-Malik for what occurred, the end result was nonetheless the identical and but Brundage goes residence with a loss on his document and half his paycheck after solely incomes his present cash from the UFC.
“I don’t suppose he head butted me deliberately in any respect,” Brundage stated. “I don’t suppose it’s one thing somebody even appears to be like to do actually. Possibly I’m fallacious however I don’t suppose he did that. I do suppose the intentionality of fouls in MMA is essentially the most laughable shit that makes our sport much less professional than different sports activities. If I’m taking part in basketball and I foul you, it doesn’t matter whether or not I meant to foul you or not, you’re going to shoot free throws. If we’re taking part in soccer and I foul you, it doesn’t matter if I meant to or not, they’re going to implement the penalty.
“In MMA, extra instances than not, the penalties usually are not enforced. It’s humorous, they arrive backstage and the referee [tells us] ‘I’m providing you with a warning, that is your one and solely warning, I’m providing you with a warning now, you go on the market and do it, I’m taking some extent, I’m imposing this.’ Effectively, you’re not. So I don’t even know why we’re having this dialogue.”
Referees are sometimes criticized for not penalizing fighters for fouls akin to eye pokes, grabbing the cage or low blows. The native commissions even have sway in making the decision for a majority of these stoppages, which is what angers Brundage a lot in his state of affairs.
Past what occurred within the Bellato vs. Craig battle earlier within the evening, an ideal instance of an nearly equivalent stoppage unfolded again in 2021 when Kyle Daukaus completed Kevin Holland with a submission after they clashed heads throughout an trade.
The battle was in the end dominated a no-contest and that was the tip of it.
Brundage doesn’t perceive how he’s being penalized for absorbing an unlawful strike, the battle will get completed off that foul and but as a result of every thing unfolded within the third spherical, the judges are then providing up scorecards to find out a end result.
“In Georgia’s guidelines, in their very own bi-laws, individuals will contest some issues, they’ll enchantment sure selections based mostly off a choose’s discretion or a referee’s discretion and also you’re by no means going to win an enchantment based mostly on somebody’s discretion as a result of it’s simply their opinion,” Brundage defined. “However it says within the Georgia bi-laws in the best way they do MMA there, they won’t rating unfinished rounds. They scored the third spherical utterly in opposition to their bi-laws. So me and my staff filed an enchantment.
“The foul instantly impacted the battle. It wasn’t a foul that didn’t have a lot impression. It ended the battle after which to attain a 30 second spherical is simply insane to me. I don’t actually perceive it. One other factor is there’s no uniform why how they deal with these things. They’re simply doing shit on the fly. That once more, simply brings much less legitimacy to our sport.”
As a lot because it upsets him {that a} foul ended his evening, Brundage additionally doesn’t see how the judges gave Abdul-Malik the win, particularly after going residence and rewatching the battle.
“When the judges’ scores come again and it’s 30-27, I feel that’s laughable,” Brundage stated. “I feel whoever that choose is needs to be fired. You’re taking part in with a lot cash. These guys are going to make their paycheck it doesn’t matter what. I’m going residence with half my paycheck as a result of that man doesn’t know what he’s watching.”
Brundage additionally took exception to a couple issues that Abdul-Malik stated after the battle, though he needs to provide him the good thing about the doubt as a result of the previous Contender Collection winner could not have had all the data obtainable to him when he spoke in regards to the battle.
“After the battle, he’s a younger child, he looks like a very good child, he comes from a very good staff — I don’t need to hate on him or discuss an excessive amount of trash on him,” Brundage stated. “However I noticed his publish battle interview that he did and he’s like ‘there was no vital head conflict, there wasn’t sufficient house for there to be harm on a head conflict, it was the knee. I kneed him to the physique. That’s what damage him.’ I don’t know if he has individuals telling him that. I don’t know what the justification was for why he stated that post-fight nevertheless it’s laughable. It’s utterly laughable.
“You watch the battle, he utterly misses with the knee. He jumps from the place the sponsors are on the cage, jumps with the knee, uncontrolled, off steadiness, and drops his fingers to his waist … I’ve by no means appear somebody throw a knee, drop their fingers to their waist, go head over dick into somebody’s face. It was a nasty head conflict. I used to be there, I wasn’t unconscious however fighters know generally you get hit and your knees go jelly. So I dropped, clearly the ref stops the battle. It’s tremendous unlucky.”
Appeals not often get accepted relating to state athletic commissions overturning a end result however Brundage hopes the powers-that-be in Georgia not less than take a very good lengthy have a look at every thing that unfolded in his battle.
Regardless, Brundage admits your entire expertise preventing in Atlanta was a bit of off-putting and he’s undecided he’d rush to compete there once more if supplied a chance.
“The Georgia fee, the entire week it was odd,” Brundage stated. “If you happen to may have seen our locker rooms. The locker room state of affairs, we’re speaking in regards to the NFL of our sport, it was unbelievable. That they had 4 groups in a locker room the dimensions of a brush closet. It was so unprofessional.
“I’ve it on good authority from individuals who would know — as near understanding as you’ll be able to — there have been a number of fighters that missed weight and the fee simply sort of let it slide. I don’t know if I’ll battle outdoors of Vegas once more as a result of these commissions are wonky. I hope they do the correct factor and overturn this battle.”
