Matt Mittrione appeals TKO loss to Travis Browne, accuses ref of conflict of interest

UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione isn’t about to let his loss to Travis Browne stand.

The UFC heavyweight is appealing a TKO loss to Browne at January’s UFC Fight Night 81 at Boston’s TD Garden. Mitrione claims the fight’s referee, Gary Forman, failed to properly officiate the bout and should have stopped it in the second round after multiple eye-gouges.

Mitrione, who is recovering from a recent eye surgery following an orbital blowout sustained in the fight, also claims Forman should have been disqualified from the job in the first place, alleging the referee didn’t have the experience to fulfill his duties and had a conflict of interest as a former promoter.

MMAjunkie was unable to verify Mitrione has filed the appeal. Jen Cobis, spokesperson for the event’s overseeing Massachusetts State Athletic Commission, forwarded a request for confirmation to the commission’s legal department. Veteran MMA writer Duane Finley, who previously profiled Carlos Condit for MMAjunkie in advance of his UFC 195 title shot, posted the complaint online (it can be viewed here).

Officially, Mitrione (9-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) was ruled the loser via TKO when Browne (18-3-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC) unloaded a flurry of strikes in the third round of the Jan. 17 event. Referee Forman called off the bout just 51 seconds before the final bell. It was the final fight on Mitrione’s UFC contract.

In a previous interview with MMAjunkie, Mitrione said the fight should have been called off regardless of whether or not he said he was OK to continue. He was uncertain about the prospect of appealing the decision, doubting it would have any effect on the official result.

The complaint, however, indicates otherwise.

Mitrione’s grievance breaks down a sequence of events that purports to show how Forman botched the fight, starting with a timeout in the first round after Browne’s finger first poked Mitrione in the eye. Mitrione alleges the stoppage resulted in Browne getting additional coaching when not directed to a neutral corner.

Forman, the complaint states, also failed to notify the commission of the foul and argues Browne’s eye-poke was intentional.

“Mitrione was about to strike Browne with an undefended right hook to the head following a straight left lead,” the complaint reads. “As a result of Browne’s position in reaction to Mitrione’s fair combination of strikes, Browne was able to defend being struck by Mitrione’s legal attack only by employing the illegal blow. Accordingly, the foul should have been judged intentional and Browne should have been disqualified.”

Mitrione claims Browne employed the tactic again in the second round, resulting in another eye poke that should have resulted in a disqualification. He claims Forman tacitly admitted witnessing the foul by advising Browne to watch his fingers and demonstrated “a complete lack of knowledge or, alternatively, a willful disregard for the rules” by advising Mitrione to be careful about “jumping into” Browne’s fingers.

“The Referee committed an inexplicable error by failing to call time out, by failing to assess the foul from the second illegal blow at the earliest opportunity, and by failing to disqualify Browne,” the complaint states. “Browne then sought to exploit his illegal blow (and the referee’s compounding errors) by pressing the fight harder and by attempting to finish the fight while Mitrione was injured from the foul and attempting to recover.”

Browne’s rep, John Fosco, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Mitrione’s complaint. MMAjunkie was not immediately able to reach Forman for comment.

By allowing the bout to continue, Mitrione argues, Forman “knowingly endangered” him “by improperly forcing him to fight for an additional 33 seconds while obviously injured and compromised.” The action was so egregious, he furthered, that the entire third round should be wiped from the record.

“Round (three) did not occur during properly sanctioned competition,” the complaint states. “Round (three) thus became an exhibition (of incompetence) and not a competition as provided by the rules.”

Mitrione goes on to chastise the commission for even hiring Forman, claiming he is in conflict of interest as the proxy head of the Cage FX MMA promotion in Massachusetts, and used his UFC job to advertise his own interests on Twitter.

“We also find it unusual that Referee Forman began following both Browne and Mitrione’s social media on January 17, 2016,” the complaint states. “Would it be proper for a circuit court judge to send a ‘friend request’ to a lawyer that was to appear before him later that day? Is this similar action by Forman consistent with being an unbiased referee?”

“In light of multiple and compounding errors committed by the referee and other licensees and officials, it is impossible to conclude that the MMA contest between Mitrione and Browne at UFC UFN 81 was conducted fairly,” the complaint continues. “We hereby appeal the decision of this contest and request that the Commission overturn the decision and declare Mitrione the winner by disqualifying Browne. Alternatively, the bout must be declared a ‘no contest.’ We also urge the Commission to protect the integrity of future MMA events and use its best efforts to ensure fighter safety by disciplining Referee Forman.”

According to MSAC statutes, Mitrione’s complaint will be reviewed by the commission “or its designee.” If the complaint is deemed credible, a hearing can be convened to find whether a violation has occurred, though the commission doesn’t specify the procedures for overturning a bout’s official result. The regulatory body “may suspend a license for a fixed period of time, revoke a license permanently, or issue a reprimand the licensee.” Commission decisions may also be appealed to the state’s superior court.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 81, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

view original article >>