Ali Akbar Rosady
The highly anticipated debut event for MVP MMA concluded with a significant controversy surrounding the flyweight bout between Phumi Nkuta and former ONE Championship titleholder Adriano Moraes. Nkuta, an undefeated prospect entering the contest, found himself on the losing end of a technical submission, a decision he vehemently disputes, claiming Moraes held a rear-naked choke beyond the final bell, drawing parallels to the contentious career of Rousimar Palhares. The incident, which occurred on a card featuring a themed tribute to Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano, has prompted an official appeal to the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC).
Nkuta, stepping into the cage on short notice for what was arguably the biggest challenge of his professional career, had, by all accounts, delivered a compelling performance against a seasoned veteran. Prior to the contentious third round, the unofficial scorecards indicated Nkuta was leading comfortably. Two judges had Nkuta up 20-18, while the third judge scored the fight 19-19, suggesting that even if Moraes had secured the final round, Nkuta was poised to secure at least a split-decision victory. This statistical advantage underscores the unexpected and abrupt nature of the fight’s conclusion.
The dramatic final moments of the bout unfolded with approximately 10 seconds remaining in the third and final round. Moraes, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt renowned for his submission prowess, managed to take Nkuta’s back and secure a rear-naked choke. Nkuta, with a professional record of 6-0 prior to this fight, visibly resisted the submission attempt, actively fighting the hands and showing signs of consciousness up until the very instant the final bell sounded. However, what transpired immediately after the bell became the focal point of the controversy. Moraes maintained the choke for several seconds beyond the sound of the bell, with veteran referee Herb Dean actively attempting to pry him off. It was only after Dean’s intervention and the eventual release of the hold that Nkuta appeared to lose consciousness.
Recalling the sequence, Nkuta provided a vivid account of the moments leading up to the finish. "Obviously, I had my little Max Holloway moment," Nkuta told MMA Fighting, referencing Holloway’s famous mid-fight taunts. "I was into the fight, the crowd was having fun. I’m just like let’s bang out here. I felt I had the fight in the bag, but at the end of the day, I love to scrap. I’m screaming let’s go, and I throw the cartwheel kick, my standard kick I wanted to throw. I threw it a little slower than usual because it’s towards the end of the fight. That’s why if you see my hand is down, I throw it and he throws the flying knee at the same time, I’m not going to lie, it’s almost some Goku-Fajita, superhero Dragonball-Z thing. He’s throwing his finishing move with the flying knee, I’m throwing my cartwheel kick at the same time."
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Nkuta continued, detailing the choke itself: "He does a good job taking the back, trapping the arm, great job to him. Obviously, the choke happened. I heard the 10-second clapper, I’m fighting it with everything I’ve got. I hear the bell and then I wake up. As soon as I wake up, I’m like there’s no way I got knocked out. In my mind, I’m like I just heard the bell, what happened?" This immediate post-choke recollection forms the cornerstone of Nkuta’s argument: that he was conscious when the round officially ended.
Following the unusual conclusion, cageside officials opted for an instant replay review to ascertain the exact timing of Nkuta’s unconsciousness relative to the final bell. After deliberation, Dean, a highly experienced and respected referee in mixed martial arts, ultimately ruled that Nkuta had indeed fallen unconscious before the bell, resulting in a technical submission victory for Moraes. This decision, however, directly contradicts Nkuta’s personal experience and the visual evidence, which, to many observers, suggested Nkuta was still actively defending the choke at the sound of the bell and only went limp after Moraes’s grip was maintained for an extended period post-bell.
Nkuta did not mince words when discussing Moraes’s actions. "You look at the instant replay, and he kind of pulled a Rousimar Palhares on me," Nkuta stated, invoking the name of a fighter notorious for holding submissions past the point of referee intervention. Palhares, a former UFC and WSOF competitor, gained a reputation for failing to release submissions promptly, leading to multiple penalties and disciplinary actions throughout his career. Nkuta’s comparison highlights his belief that Moraes’s actions were not merely a heat-of-the-moment oversight but a deliberate, or at least negligent, act of holding the choke for an undue duration.
While acknowledging the intensity of competition, Nkuta expressed disappointment in Moraes’s conduct. "I thought Adriano was more of a clean fighter," Nkuta commented. "I get he’s just doing everything he can, heat of the moment and all that, but I guess when I rocked him in the first round, I did everything I could to really not to hit that guy in the back of the head. It’s like looking at this now, should I have just not really cared and just struck the guy anyways? I pride myself on being a clean fighter and in that moment it was for sure dirty." He further emphasized Dean’s active role in attempting to separate the fighters: "Especially because you see Herb trying to pry him off. It wasn’t like Herb touched the guy, and he let go. Herb’s pulling the guy off, and he’s still choking me. Look, I guess it could be heat of the moment but at the end of the day, every second counts and I believe I got Rousimar Palhares’d out of that but it is what it is. I’m just happy with the experience. I’m happy the fans loved the fight."
In a separate interview, referee Herb Dean defended his decision, asserting confidence in his call for a technical submission. Dean’s long career has seen him officiate countless high-stakes bouts, and while generally respected, he has also been involved in other controversial stoppages throughout his tenure. Nkuta, while disagreeing with the outcome, expressed no desire to engage in a public dispute with the veteran official. "That’s the thing. Every second counts when we’re talking about a choke. Every little millisecond counts," Nkuta said. "I’ve watched it from a bunch of different angles. You can see me fighting the choke with one arm. If I went limp, my arm would have let go. I’m not going to sit here and say anything bad about Herb. He’s just trying to do his job as a referee and I’m trying to do my job as a fighter." Nkuta added, "However he feels about, he can feel about it but I’m not going to sit here and talk trash about Herb. I’m not going to make him the Keith Peterson to my Dominick Cruz and start holding a whole bunch of stuff against him. But at the end of the day, how am I limp if I’m fighting the choke with one hand still?" This reference to the public spat between fighter Dominick Cruz and referee Keith Peterson highlights Nkuta’s intention to avoid a similar personal feud, despite his strong disagreement with the decision.
The outcome of the fight marked the first professional loss for Phumi Nkuta, a significant setback for a fighter who had maintained an unblemished record. Moraes, a multiple-time ONE Flyweight Champion known for his rivalry with Demetrious Johnson, improved his record to 21-5, though the manner of this victory remains under scrutiny.
In response to the controversial decision, Nkuta’s team has formally filed an appeal with the California State Athletic Commission. The appeal seeks to have the result overturned, ideally to a no-contest, based on the argument that Nkuta was conscious at the final bell and that the subsequent loss of consciousness was a direct result of the choke being held illegally. The CSAC will now review all available evidence, including video footage and official reports, to determine whether the original ruling should stand or be amended.
Despite the disappointing conclusion, Nkuta expressed satisfaction with his performance and the overall experience of fighting on such a prominent card. He believes he demonstrated his capability to compete at the highest level of the flyweight division, even on short notice and at a catchweight slightly above his natural fighting weight. Financially, Nkuta confirmed that MVP MMA’s unique flat-fee payment structure ensured he did not suffer a monetary loss, and he also received an additional $100,000 for Fight of the Night honors, underscoring the entertainment value of the contest.
Ultimately, Nkuta remains steadfast in his conviction that the referee’s call was erroneous and hopes the appeal will rectify his professional record. "Isn’t it funny the only way I can get beat is off some controversial hoopla?" Nkuta mused. "Off a fight that I took on a week and a half’s notice and up in weight. This was a cool experience. I had the time of my life. A no-contest would be cool. Obviously because he’s holding on a little too long. That’s the tough part, because he’s holding on every second counts and I go out. It sucks, but at the end of the day, in the court of public opinion, everyone knows what happened. I can sleep at night knowing that." The outcome of the CSAC’s review will be closely watched by the MMA community, as it could set a precedent for future controversial stoppages.
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