In a card populated by fouls and controversial regulatory decision-making, perhaps the most bizarre moment of UFC 294 took place during the featured light heavyweight bout between Johnny Walker and Magomed Ankalaev.
After kick-filled exchanges on the feet, Ankalaev (18-1-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC) got Walker (21-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) to the canvas at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. As the struggle for position and footing played out, Ankalaev kneed his grounded opponent in the head. A timeout was called.
The bout was called off by referee Dan Movahedi at 3:13 of Round 1 at the advice of the cageside physician, who already was part of a separate controversial moment earlier in the event. That’s when all hell broke loose.
Walker shoved referee Rich Mitchell and signaled for the bout to continue as more commission and promotion officials entered the fight surface. Anakalev was game, and he, too, moved toward Walker.
That’s when UFC CEO Dana White entered the fray and attempted to calm his fighters in an expletive-filled manner. Eventually, things simmered down enough for the official decision reading, which was not well-received by those in attendance.
The bout between Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker has been called a no contest after Walker was deemed unable to continue due to an illegal knee from Ankalaev. #UFC294 pic.twitter.com/Mvy6NwaDso
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 21, 2023
It’s unclear if a rematch will result from Saturday’s controversy, but Ankalaev vs. Walker was an important fight for the light heavyweight division. Ankalaev hadn’t competed since a vacant title fight draw with Jan Blachowicz at UFC 282 in December. Walker looked to extend a three-fight winning streak to four.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 294 results include:
- Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker declared no contest (accidental illegal knee) – Round 1, 3:13
- Ikram Aliskerov def. Warlley Alves via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:07
- Said Nurmagomedov def. Muin Gafurov via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:13
- Muhammad Mokaev def. Tim Elliott via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 3:03
- Trevor Peek def. Mohammad Yahya via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 30-27)
- Javid Basharat vs. Victor Henry declared no contest (accidental groin strike by Basharat) – Round 2, 0:15
- Sedriques Dumas def. Abu Azaitar via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Mike Breeden def. Anshul Jubli via knockout (punches) – Round 3, 3:00
- Muhammad Naimov def. Nathaniel Wood via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Viktoriia Dudakova def. Jinh Yu Frey via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Shara Magomedov def. Bruno Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 30-27)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.
