Phumi Nkuta is still frustrated over the controversial ending to his fight against Adriano Moraes, but he is refusing to turn the situation into a personal attack on veteran referee Herb Dean.
The chaotic moment unfolded during the MVP MMA: Rousey vs. Carano card, where Phumi Nkuta appeared to be on the verge of a massive upset victory over the former ONE flyweight champion before everything unraveled in the final seconds.
Nkuta accepted the fight against Moraes on short notice and delivered one of the best performances of his young career. Heading into the closing moments, he was leading 20-18 on two scorecards and was even on the third, putting him in position to secure at least a split-decision victory.
Instead, the fight ended in controversy. Moraes locked in a rear-naked choke during the final seconds of the bout, and while Phumi Nkuta continued fighting the submission as the bell sounded, Dean ruled that he had gone unconscious before time expired. The result was awarded as a technical submission victory for Moraes, despite replay footage appearing to show Nkuta fading only after the bell had already sounded.
The stoppage immediately sparked backlash from fans and fighters alike, including former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling.
Nkuta and his team later filed an appeal with the California State Athletic Commission, hoping to overturn the result.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Phumi Nkuta responded after Dean publicly defended his decision.
“He said I was out before the bell, and then said Moraes held it for a fraction of a second,” Nkuta said.
“He’s not going to be my Keith Peterson. I know he’s trying to do his job. Being a referee in this sport where there’s so much going on, it’s not easy, so I’m not going to hate on Herb or say he’s a bad person or whatever. That’s not my job. I’m not going to attack his character or anything like that.”
“But I disagree. We have angles on film where you can see me fighting the choke as the bell goes off. I’m still grimacing as the bell goes off. If I’m grimacing and still fighting the choke at the bell, how am I out before?”
Phumi Nkuta admitted he believed he already had the fight won before the final sequence changed everything.
“Obviously, I had my little Max Holloway moment,” Nkuta said. “I was into the fight, the crowd was having fun. I’m like, let’s bang out here. I felt like I had the fight in the bag.”
He explained that both fighters launched attacks at the same time before Moraes managed to take his back and secure the choke.
“He does a good job taking the back, trapping the arm, great job to him,” Nkuta said. “The choke happened, I heard the 10-second clapper, and I’m fighting it with everything I’ve got. I hear the bell and then I wake up. As soon as I wake up, I’m like, ‘There’s no way I got knocked out.’ In my mind, I’m like, ‘I just heard the bell, what happened?’”
The unbeaten prospect also accused Moraes of holding the choke too long after the fight had already ended.
“You look at the instant replay, and he kind of pulled a Rousimar Palhares on me,” Nkuta said.
“I thought Adriano was more of a clean fighter. I get it, heat of the moment and all that, but especially because you see Herb trying to pry him off. It wasn’t like Herb touched the guy and he let go. Herb’s pulling the guy off, and he’s still choking me.”
Despite the controversy, Phumi Nkuta made it clear he does not want to start a public feud with Dean.
“I’m not going to sit here and say anything bad about Herb,” Nkuta said. “He’s just trying to do his job as a referee and I’m trying to do my job as a fighter.”
“However he feels about it, he can feel about it, but I’m not going to sit here and talk trash about Herb. I’m not going to make him the Keith Peterson to my Dominick Cruz.”
Nkuta’s team is now waiting to hear the outcome of their official appeal, and the rising flyweight hopes the result will eventually be changed to a no-contest.
Still, the South African prospect believes the performance proved he belongs among the division’s elite, especially after taking the fight on less than two weeks’ notice.
“Isn’t it funny the only way I can get beat is off some controversial hoopla?” Nkuta said.“This was a cool experience. I had the time of my life. A no-contest would be cool because every second counts. It sucks, but at the end of the day, in the court of public opinion, everyone knows what happened. I can sleep at night knowing that.”
