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Saturday night's UFC Vegas 97 saw several controversial moments where fighters landed illegal shots at their opponents. In the other MMA event of the night, at Bellator Champions Series: San Diego, Khabib Nurmagomedov nearly lost it while cornering his cousin.
Here are your today's top combat sports updates, presented by Sportskeeda MMA's News Roundup.
UFC Vegas 97 sees a double groin shot, glove grab, and more
Despite being an Apex card with limited firepower, UFC Vegas 97 was uncannily plagued with multiple illegal strikes. In the prelims, Jaqueline Amorim secured an armbar submission win over Vanessa Demopoulos but the latter immediately protested about a glove grab.
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The complaint was reviewed and Amorim was rewarded with the win, but fighters and fans on social media were unconvinced. Aljamain Sterling called it a "bit of a dirty trick."
Read more reactions here.
In the main card, Steve Garcia beat Kyle Nelson via TKO but once again fans spotted an illegal move - a behind-the-head elbow that left a visible bruise on Nelson's head. His wife shared a picture of the injury on her social media platform, demanding the loss to be overturned to a 'no contest'.
Fans called out referee Mark Smith for overlooking Garcia's transgressions.
The final set of illegal strikes was not ignored by the officials but certainly triggered a series of hilarious reactions online. In the main event of the card, Sean Brady landed a low blow on Gilbert Burns in the fourth round. Burns returned the favor with a groin shot, albeit accidentally, almost immediately after the action resumed.
The exchange became a talking point of the MMA social media. One fan wrote, "Love the revenge groin shot from Burns there lol." Another wrote, "An eye for an eye, a ball for a ball."
Read more comments here.
Khabib Nurmagomedov almost chokes cousin Umar in the corner
Khabib Nurmagomedov was in Usman Nurmagomedov's corner as the latter defended his lightweight belt against Alexander Shabliy at Bellator Champions Series: San Diego on Saturday night.
During a particular exchange near the cage, Usman fumbled a potential guillotine choke, which got 'The Eagle' a bit too excited in the corner. The former UFC champion reacted animatedly, putting a chokehold of his own on his teammate and cousin Umar Nurmagomedov, who was also present in the corner.
Take a look at the moment below:
Later on, Khabib shared a video of the incident online and joked about it. He wrote on his Instagram Story:
"Good job brother you didn't tap @umar_nurmagomedov"
Usman won the fight via unanimous decision, retaining his belt and undefeated streak.
New photos of The Sphere test run for Noche UFC
The UFC released a pair of new photos of test runs for the Noche UFC event set to take place at The Sphere on Sep. 14, 2024. The pictures feature Dana White against the curving LED screen across the dome of the high-tech venue.
Take a look below:
Fans, however, are still not unanimously convinced. While some were in awe of the photos, others believed it was a futile attempt to sell more tickets.
