Kyle Daukaus was not pleased that his fight with Kevin Holland at UFC Vegas 38 ended as a no contest.
An accidental head collision between the pair in the first round saw Holland momentarily go out cold. However, Holland woke back up as soon as he hit the ground and continued fighting.
However, he was still hurt and Daukaus was going for the kill at the time as he managed to sink in the rear naked choke with Holland tapping soon after.
Despite what looked like a win for Daukaus, referee Dan Miragliotta went for a review of the fight as the red light was turned on following the head collision.
THE LIGHT IS ON. 🚨
Decision pending here after controversy reigns supreme in the Daukaus-Holland bout. #UFCVegas38 pic.twitter.com/fMlSFI5L0R
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) October 3, 2021
After going over the replay and discussing things with fellow referee Herb Dean, Miragliotta eventually ruled the fight as a no contest with Daukaus no longer getting the victory despite tapping Holland.
Daukaus Feels Screwed Over
Daukaus knew something was up when he saw the light and was not happy once everything was all said and done. He even feels the situation would be different if Holland ended up winning the fight soon after.
“I don’t know what’s going through my head right now. It just annoys me,” he said post-fight. “He did recover from the headbutt in a way, and [the referee] didn’t say anything while we were in there. He was still fighting, so it was fine, to me it was fine.
“If that would’ve happened to me, it would have been fine. If he would’ve stood back up and if he would’ve gotten back to his feet and knock me senseless, they would’ve made it a big deal about him on ESPN saying, ‘Oh, he suffered a headbutt and then got up and knocked me out.’ But, because he recovers off of a headbutt gives up his back and I choke him, I get a no contest. So … it is what it is. I don’t know.”
That said, Holland would call to run things back and that’s fine by Daukaus who despite not earning a win bonus on the night, would still be bothered if he got the win that way.
“Yeah, that’s fine. I don’t care,” Daukaus added. “It would have bothered me … and it’s still going to bother me. It’s going to haunt me until I get the win, so it’s only more motivation throughout training.”
You can watch the full post-fight interview below:
