MMA News & Rumors: UFC Fight Night Full of Controversies

It was another wild weekend in the UFC, but again, for all the wrong reasons, as we saw another big fight end in controversy. In fact, there were a pair of bouts at UFC Vegas 21 that ended in a manner that we never really want to see in fighting. For the second straight week, a knee blow ended a fight, while an eye poke ended yet another. We will get into both of those in more detail in a moment, as those are what are dominating the headlines right now. We will also take a look at what might be next for the winners and losers this past weekend so you can continue making your bets against their UFC odds.

2021 MMA Betting News & Rumors Update | Mar. 15th Edition

We have to get the ball rolling with the fight between Eryk Anders and Darren Stewart this past weekend, as it looked a lot like what went down at UFC 259 between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling. While the knee shot ended the fight in both, the actual outcome of both fights is what is causing the controversy. Where Yan was DQed for his knee, the fight on Saturday night was declared a No Decision. There are arguments to be made suggesting that the right call was made in both cases, but many seem to be suggesting that there needs to be more consistency in decisions made by referees.

That was not the only fight that ended in controversial circumstances on Saturday night though, with the bout between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad ending as a No Contest in the second round after an inadvertent eye poke from Edwards made it impossible for Muhammad to continue. The good news is that there was no permanent damage to the eye, and while Muhammad might be looking at a rematch, it appears as though Edwards, who was apologetic after the incident, is looking for a title bout against Kamaru Usman as his next bout.

The one thing that seemed to come out of the Edwards Vs Muhammad fight is that a lot of MMA fighters believe it is time to start looking at new gloves in the UFC. The belief is that many of the eye poke incidents we have seen over the years have come as a result of the gloves, which keep the fingers straight as opposed to essentially forcing them into a fist. This is a call for change that has been out there for a while, but it is once again gathering steam after another fight unnecessarily ended.

Prior to the start of his bout against Gavin Tucker, Dan Ige suggested that he would be picking up a bonus check at the end of the night. That prediction came true, as Ige ended his bout early with a one-punch strike that floored Tucker. The dust had barely settled on that performance before Ige was calling out Chan Sung Jung. A fight against the Korean Zombie would be one to watch, and it’s certainly one that a lot of UFC fans will be looking to Dana White to make. Watch this space.

I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?