Belal Muhammad vs Leon Edwards ended in a no contest recently but what does this result mean in the UFC?
UFC Fight Night Muhammad vs Edwards saw one of the lesser known results take place as a no contest was confirmed after the second round.
Belal Muhammad was the victim of an eye poke from Leon Edwards. This had already happened once in the first round but the second instance was far worse for Muhammad.
The American was in a lot of pain and was bleeding from the eye. There were concerns he had suffered a serious eye injury too but thankfully, Bully posted an update and said his eyesight was returning.
However, the fight was ruled a no contest, and this was the first time such a result had taken place for either star.
No contests are a bit of a rarity in MMA these days but what does it mean?
A no contest is a term used in combat sports where a fight is ended when there is no winner or loser and for reasons that are out of control of a fighter.
In terms of MMA, not just the UFC, a no contest can be declared if an illegal strike (which is accidental) takes place and the victim cannot continue to fight.
It is different for each promotion but there have been a few no contest results in the UFC. For example, in the Muhammad vs Edwards fight, the American was unable to continue due to the accidental eye pokes.
Although eye pokes are banned and illegal in the UFC, and in other MMA promotions too, this was deemed an accident and Edwards was not fined for his actions.
The UFC has also deemed some fights to be a no contest well after the result has taken place. While no contest results have been declared after low blows or eye pokes, Matt Riddle has been on the end of some crazy decisions too.
The now WWE star was at odds with the UFC over his use of marijuana and cannabis. He holds an MMA record of eight wins, three losses and two no contests.
However, both of his no contests were originally wins but they were changed after he tested positive for cannabis.
The UFC has changed the results basis on stars failing drugs tests too. However, a no contest doesn’t harm the record of a star as events could be beyond his/her result in the Octagon.
A no contest is different from a draw though but it is still better than ending up losing a fight for a mistake made in the Octagon.
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