“That’s so dirty! That is so nasty.”
(Picture: Photo courtesy of @jedigoodman/Twitter)Podcaster Joe Rogan called a mixed martial artist (MMA) fighter “so dirty and nasty” after she seemingly attempted to gouge her opponent’s eyeball during a UFC event.
Priscilla Cachoeira, the MMA fighter in question who is nicknamed “Zombie Girl,” faced backlash for the moment during Saturday’s fight with Gillian Robertson, hosted at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It happened in the very first match of the 14-bout UFC 269 card, when Robertson took on Cachoeira.
Robertson prevailed against Cachoeira with a rear-naked choke as one second remained on the first-round clock.
Her victory advanced her professional career to 10 wins (seven submissions, one knockout, and two decisions) against six defeats and saw her rebound after suffering back-to-back losses.
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Despite this, Robertson wasn’t the person who was the subject of the headlines after the fight; it was Cachoeira after she tried to prevent her defeat in the opening round.
As Robertson locked in her submission hold, with her thighs clenched around Cachoeira’s torso as well as her arms around her neck, Cachoeira appeared to attempt to gouge Robertson’s eye with her thumb.
This is both a dangerous and illegal move in mixed martial arts.
At this point, Rogan, who was commentating the event for an ESPN broadcast, said, “Look at this.”
“She definitely looked like she was trying to stick a finger in her eye. She does! 100 per cent. That’s so dirty! That is so nasty,” he continued.
That's fucking illegal
— Daniel Hindley (@danielh147) December 12, 2021
The “nasty” move didn’t affect the outcome of the fight for Robertson as she went on to win.
After her win, Robertson told reporters that she was hoping that the referee would “stop the fight at that point,” but it didn’t seem to stop.
“I don’t even think he gave her a warning,” she said.
Robertson noted that she felt Cachoeira’s body go limp, assuming she was unconscious from her move. But then she felt another thumb go into her eye, she knew she had to continue on to secure her win.
People on Twitter had some things to say about the incident, with some thinking this should be Cachoeira’s last fight.
Check them out below.
should be her last fight in UFC ever
— FloydZoot (@FloydZoot137) December 11, 2021
How the fuck did the ref not see that though!?!?!
— Steven Martell (@Stevie3101) December 11, 2021
Cachoeira needs fined and suspended with extreme prejudice for both those attempts. Absolutely no room for that in this sport. #UFC269 #Dirty https://t.co/SHaPx4UVBp
— Liv Parker (@Liv_4_MMA) December 12, 2021
That's fucking illegal
— Daniel Hindley (@danielh147) December 12, 2021
Disgraceful. Just tap. Eye gouging can legit ruin a fighter’s career. https://t.co/heQ4tUDmH2
— Ryan Teston (@ryanteston) December 12, 2021
Overall, Robertson further said that she doesn’t have any bad feelings towards Cachoeira.
“I’m fairly easy-going, I guess… I still got the win. I still did what I needed to do, so nothing I can complain about.”
The fight between the two was broadcast on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass.
