UFC pulls fighter’s flag before walkout, Chris Weidman fight result changes after eye poke review, Tim Tszyu loses bloodbath battle: MMA News Roundup

A fighter was instructed to refrain from carrying his flag during his UFC Atlantic City bout. In another location, Sebastian Fundora defeated Tim Tszyu to claim the title.

Today’s top stories in the world of combat sports are as follows.

UFC Removes Dennis Buzukja’s Flag Following Controversial Incident

Despite being born and raised in the U.S.A., Dennis Buzukja was not allowed to walk out with the flag of his choice. He comes from an Albanian background and had hoped to honor his heritage during the walkout.

Despite the lifting of the UFC’s flag ban, Buzukja was still unable to implement his desired design due to design limitations on his flag.

In his interview after the fight, he addressed the reporters:

“It’s crazy. Right before I was going to walk out, they came and told me I can’t walk out with my flag because it had gold trim on it… I was like, ‘You’re going to get me crucified by the Albanian people.’”

During the weigh-ins for a previous fight, Buzukja was spotted carrying a flag of the same kind that is now in question.

His third appearance at Atlantic City marked his first victory in the UFC, as he secured a TKO win over Connor Matthews in the third round.

Eye poke controversy leads to change in Chris Weidman’s TKO victory

Despite his four-year hiatus, Chris Weidman emerged victorious in his fight at UFC Atlantic City. However, his win was marred by controversy due to the use of illegal moves.

Despite being observed by fans to have landed multiple eye pokes during the fight, Weidman was initially declared the winner by TKO. However, after a thorough review by UFC officials, it was ultimately determined to be a unanimous decision.

The decision was confusing for both fellow fighters and fans, as per MMA regulations, a fight will be declared a no-contest if an eye poke results in a fighter being unable to continue. In cases where the eye poke is deemed intentional, the offender may even be disqualified and lose the match.

Access the complete report here.

Tim Tszyu suffers defeat and sustains severe head injury

Despite losing his belt to Sebastian Fundora at T-Mobile Arena, Tim Tszyu also suffered a severe head injury.

Despite the Australian’s loss, his first in 25 fights, and his relinquishment of the WBO super welterweight and vacant WBC titles, the main topic of discussion for the night remained the hole in his head.

An unintentional strike from Fundora caused a laceration on the top of Tszyu’s head, resulting in discomfort for viewers.

View the current condition of Tszyu’s head here. [GRAPHIC WARNING]

Despite the outcry from boxing social media calling for the fight to be stopped and declared a no-contest, it continued and ultimately ended in a split decision victory for Fundora.