Alex Oliveira and Tim Means’ fight at UFC 207 in Las Vegas ended when Means landed multiple illegal knees to Oliveira’s head.
Referee Dan Miragliotta had ruled the bout a no-contest on grounds of Means’ illegal knees landing unintentionally. Subsequently, Oliveira’s team appealed the result looking for an official disqualification, believing that the knees were landed with intent.
The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) rejected Oliveira’s request for appeal earlier this month, according to MMA Fighting. Oliveira’s manager Alex Davis requested a hearing following comments Means had made publicly stating that the knees were intentional, but he was unaware that they were illegal. Means recently spoke to MMAjunkie, confirming this:
“Accidental?” Means said. “They’re playing with my intelligence. I threw the knee on purpose because I thought it was completely legal, so give the dude the DQ [win].”
“The knee wasn’t accidental, it was intentional, and the rule says an intentional foul should result in a DQ to the one who committed the intentional foul,” Davis told MMA Fighting. “The athletic commission simply refuses to admit the guilt after saying it was accidental and ruling it a no contest, and denies to admit the truth when even Tim Means himself admits it.”
NAC executive director Bob Bennett confirmed to Oliveira’s manager Alex Davis that they did not “provide adequate grounds for a change of decision.” Bennett also stated:
“The determination of whether a foul is accidental or intentional falls to the referee who is the sole arbiter of a contest,” Bennett wrote.
Davis has indicated that the case may still be pursued by the fighter, who sees the principle outweighing the expenses which may be incurred as a result of appealing the decision:
“For ‘Cowboy,’ the only option now would be appealing in the civil court, and the expenses he would have are bigger than the money at stake,” Davis said. “But we’re not doing this for the money, it’s for the principle. We, fighters and managers and coaches, have to respect the most strict rules, and we suffer the consequences when we don’t follow them, but the athletic commissions are not required the same. They do what they want and it stays like that.”
