The New York State Athletic Commission is finally taking steps to ensure a repeat of UFC 210 does not happen.
Outside of Daniel Cormier defeating Anthony Johnson for the second time, and sending “Rumble” into retirement, UFC 210 in Buffalo might be best remembered for a controversial finish. Now, the NYSAC is taking steps to ensure such confusion does not happen again. Per a new report in Newsday, the state is adopting the instant replay standard set out by the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combat Sports in July.
In a key middleweight bout between Chris Weidman and Gegard Mousasi on the UFC 210 card, fans were left scratching their heads after what appeared to be a pair of illegal knees from Mousasi connected with the All-American. While replays of the action later showed the knees to be legal, New York did not officially have instant replay at the time. Instead, ref Dan Miragliotta consulted with “Big” John McCarthy, who was cageside. McCarthy, who had viewed replay of the footage, advised Miragliotta that the blows were legal.
In the days following the fight, Weidman appealed the ruling, believing the NYSAC could not use instant replay. The commission, however, rejected the appeal, and pointed to case law that showed replays had been used in the past. In particular, a 2007 boxing match between Raul Frank and Terrence Cauthen that ended due to a head butt (reviewed via instant replay) was pointed to.
Now, with the New York State Athletic Commission officially adopting the ABC’s instant replay rules, there should be no confusion moving forward. Under the new policy, the ref in the cage can view a fight ending sequence prior to the official decision being made. The ref may also consult with an alternate ref, but final decision rests with the in-cage official.
Per Newsday, the new rule officially took effect earlier this month.
