UFC Fight Night 267 in Houston got off to a troubling start on Saturday, and no one felt it more than Nora Cornolle. The French bantamweight was stunned, injured, and ultimately submitted by Joselyne Edwards in a frightening sequence that ended at 2:44 of Round 2, with Cornolle’s head visibly flopping as she struggled to respond to the strikes.

Edwards slammed Cornolle to the canvas, leaving her visibly disoriented. Despite the heavy impact, referee Jacob Montalvo allowed the fight to continue. Edwards capitalized, unloading a barrage of unanswered punches from top position, repeatedly targeting the sides of Cornolle’s head.

At one point, Joselyne Edwards even glanced toward Montalvo, seemingly anticipating a stoppage. When none came, Edwards smoothly transitioned to Cornolle’s back and secured a rear-naked choke. With no escape in sight, Nora Cornolle was forced to tap.

The aftermath was equally concerning. Cornolle appeared badly shaken and clutched her arm, suggesting a possible injury, and was unable to stand for the official decision. Even after Edwards exited the cage and walkouts for the next bout began, Cornolle remained seated on the stool receiving attention.

Interestingly, this was their rematch, with Joselyne Edwards losing their first encounter in September 2023.

The pair now stand 1–1 against each other, but Edwards’ latest victory was far more decisive. Nevertheless, fans and MMA experts quickly took to social media to criticize the officiating after clips of the troubling finish began circulating online.

Jacob Montalvo comes under fire for UFC Houston blunder

There have been several bad calls by referees in the UFC. But this user felt it was so bad that Montalvo should be banned completely. “What a terrible stoppage ban that ref immediately,” the user commented. Montalvo has been working as a referee since October 2011, when he made his debut officiating multiple fights.

Another user suggested Montalvo waited too long. “Ref was watching that like ‘we’re gonna need more evidence,’” the user wrote. One of the worst referee decisions in UFC history was Mario Yamasaki’s horrifically late stoppage in Valentina Shevchenko vs. Priscila Cachoeira at UFC 227. He let Cachoeira absorb 230+ strikes over five rounds of brutal one-sided punishment before finally intervening.

Meanwhile, this user was happy about Edwards’ finish. “Now that’s how you get a finish. Some of these fighters this evening showing no effort it’s like they don’t wanna fight and get money,” the user wrote. Edwards was ranked 14th on UFC’s women’s bantamweight rankings, and Cornolle was 12th. Edwards is likely to move up now. 

Someone else wasn’t happy about how UFC handled the situation. The user commented, “From a terrible ref to a disorganized response for someone who clearly needs medical attention, that’s the most incompetent and disorganized the @ufc has been on live tv.” Well, live fighting events tend to have such incidents. 

The next user had a similar idea. The user said, “Omgg idk what’s worse her shoulder or his reffing 🫣😭.” It’s yet to be seen whether the fight lands Jacob Montalvo in any trouble.

That being said, it appears people aren’t happy with how things unfolded in UFC Houston. But do you think the rest of the card can redeem itself?