One of the most bizarre moments you will ever see in mixed martial arts took place Saturday night at Invicta FC 21 on Saturday night in Kansas City.
In the final seconds of the third round in their strawweight fight, Celine Haga locked in a rear-naked choke. Just before the bell sounded, her opponent, Amy Montenegro, went unconscious.
When the women were separated after the bell, Montenegro remained out cold.
Conventional wisdom would tell you this was a technical submission victory for Haga, but referee Greg Franklin completely blew the call. Franklin did not notice Montenegro go unconscious, so the fight went to the judges and Montenegro, who was unconscious minutes earlier, received a win by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Here is how the fight ended:
WOW!! What an end to Amy Montenegro vs Celine Haga on #InvictaFC21 #UFCFIGHTPASS pic.twitter.com/w0SyP2Ipoz
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) January 15, 2017
As you would expect, there was plenty of criticism following the fight, blasting the referee’s decision.
If the fighters can't get to their corner under their own power then the fight should be over. Haga put her out. Haga won. #InvictaFC21
— 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖒𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗 (@JoshLBarnett) January 15, 2017
The proper decision would have been to give Haga the submission win.
We’ll have to see if Haga and her team decide to file an appeal with the athletic commission.
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