UFC Vegas 97 fighter's wife demands loss to be overturned, shares photo of injury from alleged illegal shot

An otherwise spectacular first-round TKO from UFC Vegas 97 has now been marred in controversy owing to suspected illegal strikes.

Lightweights Kyle Nelson and Steve Garcia locked horns on the main card of the event. Seeing as both fighters had been unbeaten in their last four fights, it was billed to be a close one.

However, Garcia took care of business early at the UFC Apex, TKOing his opponent with vicious ground and pound in the very first round.

Following the fight, many in the MMA community, including fighters, questioned the validity of the win, pointing out that 'Mean Machine' had committed back-to-the-head strikes during the fight-ending flurry.

Catch the finishing sequence of Garcia vs. Nelson from UFC Vegas 97 below:

Now, Nelson's wife Claudia Turner has come out demanding justice for her husband. In a recent post on Instagram, she shared a photo of a swelling that had formed on the back of Nelson's head, while demanding the loss be overturned:

"I am so incredibly proud of you @themonster705_ufc and all of your hard work, despite being not able to recover from an illegal elbow to the back of the head. The UFC, refs, and commission do a fantastic job reminding fighters this is an illegal move, but now we have to follow through. This should be a no-contest. Keep Martial Arts Safe. Protect the Fighters."

Catch Claudia Turner Nelson's comments below:

Back-to-the-head shots are illegal in MMA and are usually met with harsh penalizations from the referee. However, this time around, Mark Smith who officiated the contest, did not resort to any penalties.

Fans around the globe were furious with Smith for the supposed oversight and ripped into him on social media. Many believe that the referee should be permanently banned from officiating future MMA events.