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Kyle Nelson appeared to win quickly at UFC Fight Night 262 – but it wasn’t over.
What was regarded by many as one of the most confusing officiating sequences in the promotion’s history began when it appeared Nelson (17-6-1, 5-5-1 UFC) had done enough damage on a semi-conscious Matt Frevola (11-6-1 MMA, 5-6-1 UFC) for referee Dan Miragliotta to intervene.
With 3 seconds left on the clock of the first round of the lightweight main card bout at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Miragliotta dove in after Frevola’s head bounced several times off the canvas. A wobbly Frevola then rose to his feet and Nelson went to shake hands with his stunned foe, but Miragliotta intervened telling them the fight was not over.
UFC analyst Daniel Cormier was on his way to do the in-cage interview when he was turned around. UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell could be seen visibly confused, standing cageside.
Instead of the fight being off, the action resumed. Nelson went on to win a unanimous decision, but risked something going awry for the 10 minutes that followed what appeared to be a significant referee blunder.
UFC vice president of regulatory affairs Marc Ratner joined the broadcast mid-fight and said Miragliotta told him he heard the horn go off. Ratner called it a “mistake,” and replay showed there were clearly 3 seconds left on the clock and the horn had not sounded.
MMA Junkie has reached out to the British Columbia Athletic Commission (BCAC) for comment and to see whether or not the method of victory might be overturned.
