Controversy rocked UFC Vegas 116, derailing not just one, but two separate fights on the preliminary card. During the event, prelims fighters landed two different questionable moves in separate bouts, both drawing widespread attention. The referees’ decisions following those fouls only added to the disruption, and fans definitely took notice.

The first instance happened during the Cody Durden vs Jafel Filho bantamweight clash. In the second round, Durden landed an axe kick on Filho, who was lying in an open guard on the ground. The move itself is legal, but under UFC rules, a fighter cannot land an axe kick on a grounded opponent. Yet, Durden landed that kick straight to Filho’s cup while the Brazilian was grounded.

As a result, referee Jason Herzog interrupted the fight and warned Durden about the illegal move, but did not deduct a point. The fight continued, and the American ended up winning the bout via unanimous decision. Following that, fans witnessed another fighter throwing an illegal strike.

Former UFC bantamweight title challenger Mayra Bueno Silva clashed against undefeated Michelle Montague in another prelim bout that also descended into chaos. At one point, Silva was on the ground as Montague attempted to press forward for top control. However, ‘Sheetara’ landed an illegal upkick that nearly rocked the Kiwi fighter.

While the upkick is a legal move in MMA, a grounded fighter cannot land it on an opponent’s face. In this case, Silva’s kick landed flush on Montague’s face, making the entire sequence illegal. However, referee Herb Dean did not deduct a point and instead stood both fighters up to resume the action. At last, Montague won the fight and moved to an 8-0 undefeated record.

Now, after those two illegal incidents, fans didn’t mince their words while reacting to them as UFC Vegas 116 continued putting on fights.  

Fans react to two UFC Vegas 116 illegal moves

One fan chimed in and wrote, “Gives her an illegal upkick right in the face, you don’t take away a point and you put them back on their feet.”

To be fair, Michelle Montague survived that flush upkick and ended up recovering quickly. But if Mayra Bueno Silva had actually knocked her out with that strike, the chances are the commission would have turned the fight into a no-contest. We already have an example from last year’s UFC Atlanta, when Paul Craig landed an upkick to Rodolfo Bellato’s face.

After that, referee Kevin MacDonald separated them and stopped the fight in the first round. Later, Craig’s fight was ruled a no-contest. However, it’s worth noting that Bellato was standing when ‘Bearjew’ landed that kick. At UFC Vegas 116, Silva landed that upkick on a grounded Montague. What happens in that case?

A fan, seemingly implying the move should have been legal, wrote, “Both grounded should be very legal.” Well, according to the Unified Rules of MMA, upkicks are only legal when they land on the opponent’s body, not the head. Silva’s kick landed straight to the Kiwi’s face, and even though she was grounded, that move would be considered illegal.

A classic example would be Anderson Silva’s loss against Yushin Okami. In their 2006 clash at Rumble on the Rock 8, ‘Spider’ landed an upkick to a grounded Okami in the first round that knocked the Japanese fighter out. As a result, Silva received a disqualification loss on his record.

Following the upkick controversy, fans also reacted to Durden’s axe kick that landed on Filho’s cup. But the reactions mainly focused on how Daniel Cormier described the entire incident from the commentary booth. One fan wrote, “That’s the kind of explanation nobody can argue with, straight to the facts and pain.” Another user added, “Need this audio added to UFC 6.”

Well, that instance definitely had some humor intact. Still, it’s also one of those moments at UFC Vegas 116 where a fighter clearly stepped outside the rulebook and committed an illegal move.