"Pat him on the back 100%" - Chael Sonnen praises Dan Miragliotta for his referral and no-contest call at Kevin Holland vs. Kyle Daukaus

Chael Sonnen has praised referee Dan Miragliotta for his referral and no-contest call during the middleweight encounter between Kevin Holland and Kyle Daukaus at the recently concluded UFC Vegas 38 event. In the latest episode of his podcast, Sonnen had the following to say about Dan Miragliotta's decision:

"The referee got this right five seconds too late but I think you are being too critical if you bring that up. Most referees, if they miss something and time ticks off the clock they will never go backwards. They don't want to admit 'I missed it.' They don't want to say 'hold on a second, we need to review this.' This referee had integrity. This referee had extreme integrity, he was willing to take it on the chin as long as the combatants got a fair adjudication. That referee needs [to be] patted on the back 100 percent. When the head clash happens, Kevin Holland is out, that's the moment you step in. Referee saw it but everything was fast, everybody needed a moment there, including, in all fairness, Kevin Holland. He and his opponent didn't know what was happening, what were the rules... leads to a rear-naked choke, standing. Kevin looks to defend it, he taps out, great. Referee says 'time out just a second, I think I missed something. I'm going to go consult with the commission to see if I have the right to back the tape up and should it have been stopped.'"

During the fight, both men inadvertently clashed heads. This led to Holland getting knocked out and falling to the canvas. Daukaus, probably unaware of the rules, put a rear-naked choke on his downed opponent and Kevin Holland tapped. However, Miragliotta decided to revisit the incident after the fight and later declared it a no contest.

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Kevin Holland believes he lost to Kyle Daukaus at UFC Vegas 38

Kevin Holland believes Kyle Daukaus should have been announced the winner of the fight. According to him, he got knocked out and submitted in the same bout. During the UFC Vegas 38 post-fight press conference, Holland revealed he didn't even consider the possibility of the fight being declared a no-contest. He thought he lost.

"I never thought about a no-contest. I’m not that type of person. As far as I’m concerned, he knocked me out and choked me out in one fight. If it was a street fight, he would have got the job done," Kevin Holland said.