Alexander Volkanovski has spoken out about what he believes was an officiating error in a fight involving one of his teammates at UFC Perth.
The promotion’s latest visit to Australia featured a main event between welterweights Jack Della Maddalena and Carlos Prates.
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As is usually the case when the UFC heads to Oceania, the card was filled with fighters from the region.
During one of those bouts, Volkanovski took issue with a call made by referee Chris Tognoni. Tyson Pedro, fighting at light heavyweight, was visibly hurt early in the second round after being hit behind the ear by Vitor Petrino. Referee Tognoni didn’t step in, allowing Petrino to continue until he secured a knockout finish soon after.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Volkanovski points to a missed tap during Thicknesse vs Morales at UFC Perth
Colby Thicknesse, a teammate of Volkanovski, was making his third walk to the octagon, this time up against UFC veteran Vince Morales, who has 12 fights with the promotion under his belt.
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‘Slickness’ Thicknesse rebounded from his debut defeat with a win over Josias Musasa in his last outing. Meanwhile, Morales entered the bout hoping to halt a three-fight skid since rejoining the organisation.
Early on, Morales tried to use that experience. He pressed forward right from the start and looked comfortable in the opening exchanges.
But soon into the opening round, Thicknesse ended up on the mat inside Morales’ guard. From there, he quickly locked in a triangle choke attempt.
The choke looked tight before he switched it up and rolled for an armbar. During that transition, it appeared ‘Vandetta’ may have briefly tapped out, but nothing was caught by the referee.
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This didn’t escape Volkanovski’s notice. He posted on social media: “I knew I seen a tap!”
It didn’t end up affecting the outcome for Thicknesse as he went on to secure a unanimous decision win. However, it did cost him a $25k finish bonus – something that would’ve been very meaningful early in his career.
Morales has now lost six straight fights in the UFC and eight of his nine losses have come by unanimous decision. It could be that this was his final appearance with the organisation.
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