MMA fans have been left horrified after a referee failed to spot that a fighter had passed out and allowed the bout to continue.
The incident occurred during the clash between Edgar Chairez and Gianni Vazquez at Fury FC 76 in Texas.
FURY FCEdgar Chairez knocked Gianni Vazquez out but the fight continued[/caption]
FURY FCFans have been left sickened by the incident[/caption]
FURY FCReferee Frank Collazo watched on and did not intervene[/caption]
In the fourth round, Chairez found himself in control, putting his opponent into a triangle chokehold.
This knocked out his rival, but referee Frank Collazo did not stop the fight to the horror of the crowd and commentators.
Chairez then strengthened his position further by hooking his leg around Vazquez as he appeared to remain unconscious.
The commentary team of Alex Morono, Michael Alexander, and Raheel Ramzanali felt they had to intervene, shouting at the referee to put the fight to an end.
They could be heard saying: “Frank, he’s out. He’s out.
“Frank, it’s done. Frank, it’s done. What are you doing? It’s done.”
However, it continued, as Chairez changed his move to an armbar, Vazquez managed to regain consciousness and tap out after a further ten seconds.
Fans have been left sickened by Collazo’s decision to not put the fight to a stop and some have called for him to lose his job.
One said: “This made me feel sick. Can’t make that mistake or ever officiate again.”
Another commented: “Never ever let that idiot ref or have anything to do with combat or health and safety ever again. God damn.”
A third reacted: “That was awful to watch.”
Collazo is an experienced referee, having took charge of 129 fights since 2014 and he has also been in charge of UFC bouts.
A Fury Fighting Championship statement read: “It is the referee’s job to protect the fighter when the fighter cannot protect him or herself.
“In last night’s main event, the referee failed to do this. While the job of a referee is one of the hardest to do in this sport, the need for proper and continued training would help to alleviate things like this incident.”
Vazquez took to Instagram after the fight and he potentially has a broken arm and ligament damage.
FURY FCGianni Vazquez managed to come away without suffering even more serious injuries[/caption] Read More