The officials at UFC on ESPN 46 have had a number of tough situations to work through on the preliminary card, and one, in particular, may have robbed Carlos Hernandez of a finish on his record.
The flyweight bout between Hernandez and Denys Bondar at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas was filled with controversy, with the first occurrence coming in the final seconds of Round 2.
Hernandez (9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) was grounded with both knees on the canvas, and was blasted with an illegal knee strike by Bondar (16-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC). Referee Jerin Valel assessed the situation, and somehow, did not take a point from Bondar for his action.
The fight would continue into the final round, where Hernandez continued to have success, as he did for most of the fight. In the closing moments, Hernandez secured a takedown of Bondar, and rained down hard elbows to get the finish right before the horn – that is, until the officials took a second look.
However, upon further review by the officials, it was determined that a clash of heads at the completion of the takedown caused Bondar to go out, and therefore Hernandez would not be awarded the knockout finish. Instead, the fight would go to the scorecards, where Hernandez would win a technical decision with scores of 30-27, 29-28, 29-28.
Check out video of the final moment below (via Twitter):
CARLOS HERNANDEZ BEATS THE BELL 😳 #UFCVegas75 pic.twitter.com/Yi31SPumDm
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 18, 2023
Controversy in the air tonight at the APEX! 😳
📝 The rare unanimous *technical* decision declared for @Carlows25 after an accidental clash of heads rules out the knockout victory. #UFCVegas75 pic.twitter.com/KAliECT9fc
— UFC (@ufc) June 18, 2023
“Man, don’t take that crap from me, that was a finish,” Hernandez said during his post-fight interview in the octagon with Paul Felder. “No technical stoppage, whatever this crap. That was a dope slam, sick highlight. Pay me.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 46.
