Cesar Almeida got the win over Ihor Potieria in a fight that kicked off the televised portion of the UFC 307 prelims, but the story of the fight more revolves around the bout’s referee, Dave Seljestad.
Within the first couple of rounds in the fight, Potieria was the victim of four eye pokes and a low blow. Under most circumstances, at least one point deduction would have been handed out.
But in a world of MMA where referees are coming under fire for not enforcing the rules adequately, Seljestad’s work served as the latest prime example. The official did not even give as much as a hard warning during the course of these fouls.
Stretching into the third frame, Seljestad also separated the two from the clinch multiple times after just a matter of seconds in the position. That drew baffled reactions from both the commentary team and fans inside the Delta Center.
The widely criticized bout ultimately went Almeida’s way, with the Brazilian getting the nod from all three judges.
Referee Slammed For Lack Of Rule Enforcement At UFC 307
With the win, Almeida rebounds from his UFC 302 loss to Roman Kopylov earlier this year, leaving him now 3-1 in the Octagon since coming over from Dana White’s Contender Series.
Potieria, meanwhile, has now lost four of his last five fights.
