CSAC upholds Herb Dean decision in Moraes-Nkuta finish

The California State Athletic Commission has denied Phumi Nkuta's appeal of his submission loss to Adriano Moraes at MVP MMA 1 in May, leaving intact one of the year's most debated finishes.

Moraes locked in a rear-naked choke with seconds left in the third round of their flyweight prelim at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The choke appeared to be held after the final horn sounded, prompting referee Herb Dean to request an instant replay review. CSAC ruled that night that Moraes secured the technical submission with one second remaining. Nkuta's team filed an appeal the next day.

CSAC executive director explains decision after replay review

At Monday's hearing in Sacramento, CSAC executive director Andy Foster said the commission reviewed the sequence repeatedly but could not determine the exact moment Nkuta lost consciousness. "I bet I've watched it 80 times now," Foster told MMA Junkie. "When we're not sure about something, it needs to be clear and convincing evidence if this commission is going to flip a fight. I can't tell you in any definitive way, at what point are we flipping the fight?"

Foster acknowledged Nkuta would have won on the cards had the fight reached the final bell. He also addressed whether Moraes should have been penalized for holding the choke after the horn. "I've heard the word, '2.15 seconds long,'" Foster said. "The question is up for the commissioners, but my recommendation is we have to maintain what the referee called that night."

Nkuta, who attended the hearing in person, argued he heard the bell and that Moraes committed a foul by refusing to release the choke when Dean intervened. "Moraes, in my opinion, clearly committed a foul," Nkuta said, per MMA Mania. "Herb gets on him, tries to rip his hands off, and he continues to choke." The loss snapped Nkuta's 11-fight win streak and marked the first defeat of his professional career.

Dean has faced mounting criticism since the Moraes-Nkuta finish. Former two-division UFC champion Alex Pereira has publicly called for Dean to be banned from UFC events after alleging he took illegal strikes to the back of the head against Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250. Featherweight Andre Fili raised similar complaints following his most recent loss.

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