The decision disappointed the entire Accor Arena, and the thousands of viewers who followed the MMA fight.
It also surprised Cédric Doumbè, who announced he was filing a protest to obtain a “no contest” (no fighter is then the winner).
Yet she was the right one.
This Thursday evening, the long-awaited fight between Baysangur “Baki” Chamsoudinov and Cédric Doumbè came to a surprising end.
As "The Best" complained of a splinter in his foot, referee Mark Goddard stopped the match, declaring Baki the winner.
Two days later, Mark Goddard agreed to give his version of the facts and explain his decision to the media La Sueur.
In a video published this Saturday, the Briton assured that he would make the same choice if he had to do it again.
“At the start of the 3rd round, Cédric was trying to point out something to me by saying that there was a problem with his foot,” he explained.
Except that at that moment, no fault was committed.
If a mistake is made, I can stop the action and then make a decision.
But the rules are clear: for obvious reasons a fighter cannot take a timeout himself.
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“I didn’t understand how a splinter could have bothered him”
Indeed, no illegal action had taken place before this incident.
Cédric Doumbè explained that he felt that a splinter was stuck in his toe, which bothered him.
He then asked to remove it, which cannot be done.
“I think I told him to continue fighting four times,” Mark Goddard continued.
At this point I think he has an injury that is bothering him.
But a fighter cannot choose when the fight stops.
And even if it's a fighter who is at home, I can't give preferential treatment.
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The main fight of this evening of the PFL therefore ended at the start of the third round, while the fighters were tied after the first two.
But the referee could not have done otherwise.
“If I stop the fight to bring in the doctor, I am going against the rules,” he assured.
I view this as a legitimate injury caused in a legal manner.
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Mark Goddard still recognized that the outcome of the fight was regrettable.
“It saddens me, for a big fight like this, the least we can say is that it’s a shame,” he agreed.
However, he does not understand why Cédric Doumbè complained about this splinter.
“It’s not even an injury,” he was surprised.
We sometimes see fighters break bones and yet they continue.
I didn't understand how a splinter could have bothered him.
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