Home

UFC

Dana White Rushes to the Octagon as Johnny Walker Shoves Referee After Illegal Move Forces No Contest Against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 294

Published 10/21/2023, 3:30 PM EDT

Follow Us

UFC 294 had several unexpected twists along the way. Magomed Ankalaev went up against Johnny Walker in a main card bout and the outcome was scary and confusing. The very explosive match had to be called off just about as soon as it started in the very first round.

The fight was called off, a little struggle ensued, and there was enough confusion all over the place to puzzle even the casters. The main card fight was much hyped for, but it all went down rather anti-climatically. Here’s everything you need to know about it.

When Dana White had to rush to Johnny Walker in the Octagon at UFC 294

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Walker and Ankalaev struggled to take one another down in the first round. A little into the fight, the two were pressed up against the cage. This is when Ankalaev directed a very brutal knee to Walker’s head while he was down. The referee quickly ran to Walker’s rescue and separated the two.

The unintentional illegal move had the fight put on pause for a moment. The cage-side doctor ran to the scene, and a conversation between him and Walker led to the fight being called off quickly. Walker looked confused while answering the doctor’s questions too. Did the kick get to his head?

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest UFC stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

There was still much confusion when Walker pushed over the referee, trying to fight his opponent. Both the fighters were still raring to go at it. Security guards filled the Octagon, and UFC Boss Dana White and Walker’s head coach John Kavanagh had to come to the rescue. They talked Walker down and finally defused the situation, but the confusion remained.

“Only Person in Dagestan Who Can’t Defend a Takedown” – Unimpressive Sharaputdin Magomedov Faces Fans’ Wrath After Bruno Silva Breaks His Hype at UFC 294

Later, during the post-fight press conference after the PPV, White addressed questions about the same and gave one possible explanation for what transpired.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

What led to the no-contest decision?

Despite the referee stepping in, both the fighters were still in a rush to keep fighting one another. The casters talked about how something may have been “lost in translation” when Walker spoke to the doctor. However, there are no clear answers.

The no-contest may have been caused by a concussion to Walker’s head. He looked stunned, and fans allege he didn’t know what round he was in when it happened. White later revealed that Walker said something like “in the desert” when the doctor asked him if he knew where he was.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

This does raise concern if something was indeed lost in translation and Walker was fit to continue. The UFC president mentioned the language barrier and the doctor’s inexperience as potential reasons behind the call. What do you think? Should the fight have continued? Let us know in the comments.

Watch This Story: Khamzat Chimaev Vs Paulo Costa In Jeopardy Confirms Dana White

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Prit Chauhan

926Articles

One take at a time

Prit Chauhan is a UFC Writer at EssentiallySports. Having worked as a content writer for three years in niches such as mass media marketing, he has also tried his hand at fiction writing, authoring a few short stories in the process. His writing experience, combined with his experience doing research work under the Univesity of California, Berkely, helps him weave fact-based narratives from the Mixed Martial Arts world without missing a beat.
Show More>

Edited by:

Yeswanth Praveen