UFC Vegas 69: Fans call for No Contest after debutant admits to accidental illegal strike that led to doctor's stoppage victory

The fight between Nazim Sadykhov and Evan Elder at UFC Vegas 69 was stopped by the ringside physician due to a horrific cut over Elder's eye. UFC president Dana White was amongst the many who thought that the fight was prematurely stopped, but the visuals of the image proved why it was the right call.

According to the judges' scorecards during the first two rounds, Sadykhov was in a position to lose the bout. Elder took a massive knee while attempting a takedown in the third round, which proved to be the pivotal moment of the fight. The referee promptly intervened to halt the fight so that the ringside physician could inspect the wound.

The doctor decided to stop the fight, and Sadykhov walked away with a victory on his UFC debut.

Interestingly, in the post-fight interview, Nazim Sadykhov admitted that it was an accidental headbutt that caused Evan Elder's cut, which ultimately led to the fight being stopped.

Enraged fans took to Twitter to express their disappointment at the accidental illegal strike that led to the doctor's stoppage victory. One fan called for the decision to be overturned:

"Decision should be overturned if the judges had it 20-18 the other way."

Another fan wrote:

"Then it should either be a no contest or a technical decision win for Elder."

Another fan couldn't help but feel gutted for Elder:

"So Evan Elder won a technical decision and half his pay check is gone."

Check out some of the reactions below:

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Nazim Sadykhov claims that he felt jitters ahead of his UFC debut

Nazim Sadykhov received a UFC contract for his performance in Dana White's Contender Series in August 2022. He fought Ahmad Hassanzada and knocked him out in the third round.

Sadykhov was on the verge of losing to Evan Elder on his promotional debut before the doctor's stoppage that resulted in his victory. In the first two rounds, each of the three judges gave Elder the edge. With the win, Sadykhov extended his unbeaten streak to eight fights.

Reacting to his performance in the post-fight octagon interview, Sadykhov acknowledged that he felt the nerves ahead of his debut:

"I'm going to be honest. I did not find my timing there as much as I would have liked to. I felt good coming in here, but the UFC debut jitters are for real. I knew it was going to be [tough] regardless... he's [Evan Elder] a tough cookie."

Catch Sadykhov's comments below: