Curtis Blaydes’ UFC debut was ended early following medical intervention during his fight with Francis Ngannou in Zagreb.
Blaydes had successfully convinced referee Kevin Sataki to allow him to continue after the second round drew to a close, but the fight doctor stepped in for the American’s own safety.
Sataki and the doctor clearly disagreed, but a very brief examination proved the 25-year-old could see nothing on his right side.
.@Francis_Ngannou vs @RazorBlaydes265 is waved off after the doctor intervenes. #UFCZagreb https://t.co/XqADaHUOqe
— BT Sport UFC (@btsportufc) April 10, 2016
It may have disappointed Blaydes, but it is precisely the type of intervention fans should not be upset to see.
He couldn’t properly defend that side and was spared further punishment which may have led to a debilitating injury.
Had Nick Blackwell received similar treatment earlier in his fight with Chris Eubank Jr, he may have never ended up in an induced coma.
Elsewhere on last night’s card in Croatia, Junior Dos Santos earned an excellent decision victory over the in-form Ben Rothwell:
.@junior_cigano with a dominant performance at #UFCZagreb. ??? https://t.co/DM1LyEscya
— BT Sport UFC (@btsportufc) April 11, 2016
Dos Santos didn’t allow Rothwell to take him down once, and was only ever against the cage for mere fractions of a second.
The Brazilian wobbled Rothwell, and sent him sprawling across the Octagon with some measured kicks en-route to unanimously taking the victory.
Derrick Lewis did not leave his fate in the hands of the judges, earning a brutal KO victory over Gabriel Gonzaga with just 12 seconds of the first round remaining:
WOW! ‘The Black Beast’ @Thebeast_ufc KOs @gonzagabjj. ?? #UFCZagreb https://t.co/4vzV7zLded
— BT Sport UFC (@btsportufc) April 10, 2016
What a finish – that celebration needs some work though!