On the night before UFC San Antonio, a Fury FC 76 event took place in the Texas city. Unfortunately, the night ended in controversy due to a referee’s unbelievable incompetence. The main event featured Edgar Chairez and Gianni Vasquez. Chairez, who is a one-time competitor on the UFC’s Contender Series, took on Vasquez, who was clearly outmatched in the fourth round of the fight.
Ridiculous scene at Fury FC. Edgar Cháirez puts Gianni Vazquez to sleep with a triangle, and the ref simply doesn’t stop it. Cháirez ends up armbarring an unconscious Vazquez who wakes up in the submission. #Furyfc76 pic.twitter.com/AgcwI2i3ss
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) March 25, 2023
During the fight, Chairez locked on a nasty triangle that visibly put Vasquez to sleep. The commentators, including current UFC welterweight Alex Morono, repeatedly pointed out that Vasquez was unconscious. However, the referee, Frank Collazo, watched the hold for nearly 30 seconds, during which Vasquez was unconscious, and allowed the action to continue despite many people sitting cageside screaming to Collazo that Vasquez was out.
Chairez then transitioned to an armbar, a move that actually woke Vasquez up and caused him to tap following the irresponsible scene. The footage of the incident quickly went viral, and MMA Fighting received a statement from TDLR spokesperson Tela Mange in response to the incident.
“TDLR is aware of concerns about the officiating in one of last night’s fights,” Mange told MMA Fighting on Saturday. “All TDLR officials receive ongoing training, and we monitor each fight for consistency in officiating. Fight officials for each competition are always selected in conjunction with promoters.”
Promotional officials also released a statement on the Fury Fighting Championship Facebook page, reacting to the referee’s performance.
“It is the referee’s job to protect the fighter when the fighter cannot protect him or herself. In last night’s main event, the referee failed to do this,” the promotion stated. “While the job of a referee is one of the hardest to do in this sport, the need for proper and continued training would help to alleviate things like this incident. We do not hire, train, or select refs for our shows, but we would be more than willing to lead a revamp and overhaul of the reffing and judging selection and training process.”
The incident has sparked outrage in the MMA community, with many calling for more accountability and better training for referees. The role of a referee is critical in combat sports as they are responsible for ensuring the safety of the fighters. It is essential that they receive the necessary training and support to perform their jobs to the best of their abilities.
This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of adequate training and preparation for referees in combat sports. Referees should be held accountable for their actions, and there should be a system in place to ensure that they are adequately trained and prepared for their roles. Hopefully, this incident will lead to positive changes in the sport and prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
