Controversy After Stephens Lands Elbows on the Back of Emmett’s Head and a Knee to the Grounded Fighter…
UFC on Fox 28 was a doozy last night, with some fantastic fights throughout the card. In the main event, two of the biggest action fighters in the entire organization faced off. Two of the UFC’s top ten ranked featherweights met for the first time. It was bloody, violent and controversial.
Jeremy Stephens came into the event on a two-fight win streak. Last time out he pounded out South Korean fan-favorite Doo-Ho Choi. The #8 ranked featherweight met #4 ranked Josh Emmett, who himself was coming off the spectacular knockout of Ricardo Lamas. With both fighters having impressive highlight reels, many fans were excited about the carnage that would unfold.
Before the fight, many people considered it to be a fascinating test of both fighters’ credibility. Emmett had been lauded as a potential championship contender, while Stephens has always been seen as a fun top-10 action fighter, not quite at the level of the elite in the division.
Back and Forth
The fight went back and forth. In the first, Emmett was on top. He managed to gain momentum, putting pressure on ‘Lil’ Heathen’. Emmett’s best moment was when he dropped Stephen in the first, although he couldn’t capitalize on it.
In the second though, it was all Stephens. We all know he loves a counter left hook and he caught Emmett, dropping the Team Alpha Male fighter. That’s where things suddenly got controversial.
JOSH 👏 EMMETT 👏 LOVES 👏 COUNTER 👏 HOOKS 👏@JoshEmmettUFC #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/cSVVzIZu5j
— UFC (@ufc) February 25, 2018
Controversial
The left hook was perfectly valid, but it was the follow-up that has everybody talking. Stephens went in for the kill, with two elbows that struck the back of the head. Then he went with an illegal knee, that didn’t fully connect.
Referee Dan Mirgliotta didn’t catch the illegal techniques that surely should have resulted in the fight being judged a no-contest. It’s true that Emmett was probably out after the first left hook, but the fight hadn’t been stopped. You can judge for yourself in the clip below.
Despite the controversy, it was a massive win for Stephens. He’s matched his best win streak in the organization and is as close as he has ever been to a title shot, although the winner of Frankie Edgar vs. Brian Ortega is going to be next. ‘Lil’ Heathen’ is definitely one of the most violent fighters in the UFC.
Everyone Else
There were a few other excellent fights on the night. Jessica Andrade absolutely bludgeoned Tecia Torres in a brilliant flyweight title eliminator. The Brazilian was just too physical for Torres, who was treated like a ragdoll in the octagon.
Illir Latifi got the biggest win of his career when he took out Ovince St. Preux with a standing guillotine. He called out Daniel Cormier who was commentating for Fox on the night. Elsewhere, fan-favorite Mike Perry lost in front of his home crowd against Max Griffin.
Many considered this to be a light card, but the results have major implications for at least three divisions in the UFC. Stephens, Andrade, and Latifi have all put themselves in very good positions. But we really need video replays for referees.
