QUESTIONABLE DQ MARS STRIKEFORCE CHALLENGERS MMA MAIN EVENT

 No one really wants to see instant replay infest fight sports, though Strikeforce lightweight prospect Billy Evangelista could make a compelling case for it at the moment.  An apparent blown call by referee Herb Dean in his Strikeforce Challengers series main event match against Mike Aina on Friday night resulted in his disqualification and the first loss on his resume against nine victories.  Making the situation even more unfortunate, Evangelista was completely in control of the contest and appeared to be on his way to a decision victory if not a knockout stoppage.

Evangelista started slowly in his matchup against Aina, with both men trading strikes with limited effectiveness.  As the first round progressed, Evangelista started to score with his stiff leg kicks and knee strikes.  Along with a takedown, Evangelista got the better of the opening frame due to his superior workrate in the clinch (www.thesavagescience.com awarded the first round to Evangelista 10-9).

This game plan continued in the second round, with Evangelista scoring more often with his punches along with his knee and leg attacks.  After peppering Aina with strikes, Evangelista grabbed a single leg and got the takedown along the cage wall.  He landed several powerful strikes from the top, but the controversy began when Aina tried to work his way up along the fence.  Evangelista continued his striking attack, but when it appeared that he’d hit Aina with a knee strike to the head referee Herb Dean stepped in.  His ruling was that Aina’s knee was on the ground and the knee strike to the head was therefore illegal.  At this point Aina began to complain about his jaw, which initial postfight medical reports suggested was broken.  His contention was that the jaw had been broken by the knee strike and he couldn’t continue, resulting in Evangelista’s disqualification.

A number of instant replay angles along with still photos (including the one above) told a different story.  What appears to have happened is that Evangelista nailed Aina with a hard punch to the jaw, immediately followed by a knee strike to his arm.  As his arm was defending his head against Evangelista’s striking onslaught, it appeared from some angles that he’d been struck in the head and this is likely what Herb Dean saw when he waved off the fight.   Aina suggested in his postfight interview that he didn’t want to win this way and would welcome a rematch.  Showtime commentator and MMA veteran Pat Miletich took a more critical tone, suggesting that Aina ‘wanted out’ of the fight and took the opportunity of the knee strike to quit while saving face.   At any rate, it was a tough break for Evangelista who tasted defeat for the first time in his MMA career despite controlling the fight.

Evangelista handled the setback with a champion’s dignity and class, while Aina quickly agreed to a rematch as soon as his jaw heels sufficiently.  There have been some calls for the California State Athletic Commission to review the proceedings, but their options in this case are very limited.