Evangelista DQ more proof it’s time to use instant replay
Showtime put on another nice card last night with its Strikeforce Challengers series but it ended with a thud because mixed martial arts refuses to use its resources sitting just a few feet away outside the cage. It's not like MMA is the NFL and would need to use replay 10 times each fight but there are cases like the main event between Mike Aina and Billy Evangelista where an embarrassing ending could be avoided.
Midway through the second round, Evangelista kneed Aina when the Hawaiian's knee was still on the ground. It appeared, to referee Herb Dean, that the knee struck Aina in the head. It's illegal to knee a grounded opponent in the head. One problem. The knee wasn't to Aina's head. It blasted him in the arm. Aina got his bell rung and jaw rattled but he wasn't hit in the head. He didn't know where he was hit, all he knew was that it hurt. He laid on the ground for minutes and gave no indication that he could go on. Dean pushed for a stoppage and the ringside physician relented.
Aina (12-6) got a win via disqualification while the audience at home and in attendance at Fresno's SaveMart Center got to see multiple replays where Evangelista's knee never touched Aina's head. The simple solution was right there next to the cage on the television monitors. UFC VP Mark Ratner, the former director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, told Cagewriter back at Ultimate Fight Night 14 after the Kevin Burns eyepoke of Anthony Johnson that replay should be used. No less than 15 seconds after Evangelista was given the win last night did Showtime color analyst Pat Miletich echo Ratner's sentiments.
When are states going to jump on board? Aina was hurt but he should've been forced to continue or quit. Evangelista's unbeaten record was spoiled by a misplaced DQ.
Related Videos:
Comments