Imago
Source: IG,X
Imago
Source: IG,X
For nearly 15 minutes, Phumi Nkuta seemed poised to pull off the biggest upset of his career. Then, with only one second remaining on the clock, everything descended into chaos. The undefeated short-notice replacement found himself in a desperate struggle against former ONE champion Adriano Moraes during their bout on the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano card.
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‘Mikinho’ jumped on Nkuta’s back and secured a rear-naked choke in the final seconds. The bell rang almost immediately, but Adriano Moraes kept squeezing as referee Herb Dean rushed in to separate them. By the time the choke was released, Phumi Nkuta was motionless on the canvas.
What followed was several minutes of confusion, replay reviews, and debate between officials, commentators, and fans. Eventually, the California State Athletic Commission ruled that ‘Turbo’ had gone unconscious before the horn, granting Adriano Moraes a technical submission victory at 4:59 of Round 3. But not everyone agreed with the conclusion.
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“FWIW, I thought they got that call wrong,” Ariel Helwani wrote on X. “Nkuta wasn’t out when the fight ended. If anything, Herb was late / Moraes didn’t break.
“Haven’t seen the scorecards but thought it should have gone to the judges and thought Nkuta won it.”
FWIW, I thought they got that call wrong.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 17, 2026
Nkuta wasn’t out when the fight ended. If anything, Herb was late / Moraes didn’t break.
Haven’t seen the scorecards but thought it should have gone to the judges and thought Nkuta won it.
Love him or hate him, Ariel Helwani seems to be right. Phumi Nkuta did not appear fully unconscious before the fight ended, and the choke continued too long after the bell. Whether ‘Turbo’ was actually ahead on the scorecards is something up for debate. But even that’s a good thing because that means the fight delivered.
The South African prospect stepped in on short notice after Muhammad Mokaev withdrew due to visa issues, but he still pushed Adriano Moraes into one of his toughest fights. As for the decision, the 30-year-old seemed convinced he deserved the decision.
“They used to say I was boring,” he said. “At the end of the day, I showed up; I showed out.
“I’m saying that went to the scorecards; I was up. I’m a showman; let’s do it again.”
Meanwhile, ‘Mikinho’ had no doubts about the stoppage.
“He’s still dreaming because he slept really good,” Moraes said in response. “But we can do it again for sure.”
He may claim the win was clean and uncontroversial, but the footage instantly became one of the most replayed moments from Netflix’s first MMA card, mainly because fight fans and even fellow fighters couldn’t agree on where the fight truly ended and whether the choke should have counted at all.
Merab Dvalishvili and the MMA world call out controversial decision in Adirano Morano vs. Phumi Nkuta
One of the loudest voices criticizing the ending came from Merab Dvalishvili, and for good reason. Watching Phumi Nkuta pass out after the bell appeared to bring back painful memories of his own controversial loss to Ricky Simon back in 2018.
Despite never tapping or visibly passing out, ‘The Machine’ was ruled unconscious from a chokehold at the horn that night, and the result remained on his record even after an appeal. So, as he watched the ending between ‘Turbo’ and Adriano Moraes unfold, he saw history repeating itself.
“Bad flashback of my fight with Ricky Simon,” he wrote on X. “@PhumiNkuta_MMA was NOT out before the bell. His opponent held him 2 seconds after the bell and that’s when he was slept.
“Ref should have broken it up at bell and the fight would have gone to decision. Again- case of bad reffing… costs Phumi a loss.”
That sentiment quickly spread on social media, with fans criticizing both the referee and the decision itself. Some even demanded that Adriano Moraes be disqualified for holding the choke too long after the bell. One fan wrote, “Moraes should’ve been DQ’d. You can’t hang on to the choke 5 seconds after the bell rings”
Another fight fan added, “Moraes should be banned from MMA for holding on after the bell and putting Nkuta out.” The finish surely left a bitter aftertaste after what was truly an amazing fight. So, as expected, more comments joined the queue, such as, “Damn, these judges are a–. He held on; that’s why he went out,” and “Absolute BS he wasn’t out at the bell.”
The backlash toward Herb Dean became especially brutal because many viewers felt the ending was avoidable. A fan joked, “Stevie Wonder would see that was a foul, but Herb Dean can’t. 😭” Another added, “Herb and Moraes need to be fined and suspended for endangering Nkuta.”
Several others continued the trend of trashing the veteran referee, as they wrote comments such as “Trash decision by Dean,” “Take away Herb’s license,” and “Herb continues to be the biggest trash can of a referee there is across all sports.”
Those few extra seconds created enough doubt to convert what should have been a dramatic finish into one of the most controversial finishes of the year. And because Phumi Nkuta was competitive, if not ahead, prior to the choke attempt, the controversy became much more difficult for the MMA world to ignore.
