Bad referring and horrible judging have become the norm in present-day mixed martial arts. At least once per card, something happens where a judge either stops a fight too early or, lets it go too long. Furthermore, fans can count on the judges all having completely different scorecards. Rarely are referees or judges ever condemned for getting it wrong. However, the fight stoppage in this video was so bad, that the referee was suspended.
Copa Thunder de MMA Amador had an amateur MMA event last weekend. An exciting matchup between fighters Jessian Lucas and Michael Douglas was apart of the show. Referee Kleber Lopes was to blame for negating the rules of the promotion and letting unnecessary violence ensue.
Referee Kleber Lopes Fails to Referee Properly
As part of the amateur rules in Brazil, fighters are banned from landing head strikes to a downed opponent. However, after Douglas was knocked out twice, Lopes still let the fight continue. As well as, completely disregarding all of the rules of the promotion.
A strange move from the referee was the decision to call a timeout after Douglas was knocked out cold. He allowed the fighter to stand up, then asked him if he was okay to continue. Which, would never happen in a high-profile organization such as the UFC. Finally, after a second KO, the referee ended the fight.
Anderson Ulysses, vice-president of the organization, took to social media to discuss the incident.
The Commission Responds
“We of the National Athletic Commission of MMA, regret what happened and repudiate the attitude of Central Referee Kleber Lopes, and we do not neglect ourselves in the face of facts like this, either with any Arbitration Team or commission, so more rigid and professional measures were taken.”
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Luckily, Douglas was able to walk away from the cage in good health. Hopefully, the suspension of the referee sends a signal to the rest of the officials in order to prevent this from happening again.
