UFC Fighters Question Whether Rodolfo Bellato Took a Dive in Controversial Paul Craig Fight

Fans and UFC fighters alike are openly questioning whether Rodolfo Bellato took a dive in his bout with Paul Craig at the UFC Fight Night event which took place on Saturday, the 14th of June, inside the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

The card began with Vanessa Demopoulos’s decision win over Jamey-Lyn Horth in the women’s flyweight division. Other highlights include Malcolm Wellmaker’s incredible knockout win over Kris Moutinho, and Rose Namajunas’s decision win over Miranda Maverick. Kamaru Usman beat Joaquin Buckley in the headline fight.

A lot of the headlines, though, will focus on what actually happened at the end of the fight between Bellato and Craig.

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UFC Fighters React to Rodolfo Bellato vs Paul Craig Fight

Craig up-kicked Bellato but the way in which he reacted has left people wondering whether it was legit

The reason for the controversy was because Craig threw an upkick at Bellato but the strike was an illegal one as, with a knee on the canvas, Bellator would have been considered a grounded opponent, per the rulebook.

With Bellato on the floor moments later, and appearing out for the count and therefore unable to continue, the referee had no choice but to put a stop to the contest and disqualify Craig. However, replay footage seemingly suggests Bellato was conscious while falling backward, and even appeared to look to the referee as if to protest.

The way in which the incident played out has left three big-name UFC fighters openly wondering whether Bellato’s actions were legitimate, or if he faked his way out of a weird win.

Watch the incident right here:

Justin Gaethje, the long-time lightweight juggernaut, was one of the first to comment.

UFC star and former Invicta champion Angela Hill asked: “Am I crazy for thinking he faked this?”

The lightweight contender Jared Gordon also commented.

To make the fight even stranger, the referee Kevin McDonald’s verdict, that the illegal upkick was accidental, the fight was instead assigned a No Contest — there was no winner.

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