Sometimes one cannot take the loss easily and especially if it is something like in the cage in UFC in front of so many people! UFC 110 competitor Stephan Bonnar, who suffered a TKO loss to Krzysztof Soszynsk at UFC 110i due to a deep facial cut, plans to appeal the loss and hopes to have it overturned to a draw. Bonnar confirmed the plans to The Times of Northwest Indiana’s Caged in MMA site, for which he also blogs.
Bonnar, who competed on the un-aired preliminary card of the February 20 event, said the cut was caused by the first-round head butt – an illegal blow – and that the referee should have gone to the scorecards after the third-round stoppage. Instead, the referee determined the cut was caused by a punch, though multiple-replays of the fighters bashing heads in the first round aired on the video screen at host site Acer Arena in Sydney, New South Whales, and Australia.
Bonnar and Soszynski each won a round, so if the ref had done to the scorecards, which is customary after an illegal blow forces a stoppage, the fight would have been declared a draw. Instead, Soszynski earned a TKO win at the 1:04 mark of the third round. A message that MMAjunkie left with the NSW Combat Sports Authority, the local regulatory body, was not returned on Tuesday. But the commission’s executive director, Craig Waller, told Cage In the fight could be overturned to a draw, though Bonnar hasn’t filed an appeal yet.
It was immediately reported after the match that there seems a possibility of a rematch between the two fighters, Bonnar (11-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC) and Soszynski (19-9-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) and that came out to be true. “It was a headbutt, and you know what the worst part is?” Bonnar asked while pointing to his forehead. “Take a close-up on this head. This cut is actually shaped like a ‘K’ for Krzysztof, so I now I’ve got to walk around with a scar in the shape of a ‘K’ on it.
Meanwhile Frank Mir today issued an apology following an interview in which he said he wanted rival and UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar to be “the first person that dies due to octagon-related injuries.” The comments, which were made over the weekend to WXDX-FM, caused quick condemnation from an industry still trying to win mainstream acceptance.
In today’s UFC.com release, UFC president Dana White stated he is “disappointed” by Mir’s comments and that “he won’t be saying anything like that again.”
Mir, a longtime UFC fighter and former champ, was Lesnar’s first opponent after the former WWE star signed with the UFC. Lesnar battered his opponent at the February 2008 fight before Mir secured a submission for the come-from-behind win. The trash-talk was plentiful prior to their July 2009 rematch, and it continued even after Lesnar scored a lopsided TKO win.
“Frank’s been with the UFC a long time, he’s a two-time heavyweight champion and a commentator for the WEC,” White stated. “I think his emotions are running high right now, he has a big fight coming up next month, and he’s still upset about his loss to Lesnar. He’s been talked to, he regrets what he said, and he won’t be saying anything like that again.”
