Ronnie Lawrence and Dan Argueta both looked to improve their records in the talent-rich UFC bantamweight division at UFC Vegas 75 on Saturday.
Lawrence was coming off of his first UFC loss, a decision against top prospect Saidyokub Kahkramonov, while Argueta was coming off of his first UFC win, a decision against Nick Aguirre after losing his debut on short notice and up a weight class. Both fighters on paper seemed to have well-matched and well-rounded skillsets so although the fight was only the second of the night it was one that diehard fans were looking out for.
Argueta shot a takedown in the opening seconds of the fight and managed to get Lawrence to the ground, but Ronnie gave up his back to get to the feet. Argueta dragged him back down but could not get both hooks in. The scramble was all over the place but eventually Dan got into top half. Argueta pulled guard on a guillotine as Lawrence got to his feet. Ronnie fought it off but Argueta looked to mount him. Ronnie Lawrence’s hand seemed poised to tap. The referee, Keith Peterson, checked his hand to see if he was conscious and then stopped the fight. Ronnie Lawrence immediately protested, showing he was clearly conscious. The replay also showed that he did not tap.
Bit of controversy here at the APEX! 😳
Dan Argueta gets the first-round guillotine over Ronnie Lawrence…but was it a tap?! #UFCVegas75 pic.twitter.com/T5khWCW7Ui
— UFC (@ufc) June 17, 2023
A light came on indicating that the review official was reviewing the fight. All those watching waited with baited breath to see what the result would be. The fight could not be restarted under Nevada regulations, but it could be overturned to a no contest. Jerin Valel was on the review official for this one, a position which usually has no importance but took on incredible importance for this fight.
Ref Keith Peterson appeared to be apologizing to both fighters, which gave fans an indication of what the announcement would be when cage announcer Joe Martinez grabbed the mic and stepped into the octagon to announce the result. As expected, it was a no contest (technically a No Decision). It was unfortunate end for both parties, but especially Dan Argueta who was winning the fight cleanly up until that point and may have still forced Lawrence to submit. With luck, they can run this one back soon.
Official Result: Ronnie Lawrence vs. Dan Argueta Ends in No Decision (referee error), Round 1, 2:20
