Whining? Or complaining? (There IS a difference).
We’ve all known Matt to be a bit of a loud mouth, a sore loser, sh*t disturber. etc. etc. But for a change Matt Mitrione might actually be on to something. What appears to be antics of a butt-hurt fighter actually happens to be a call for stricter and more efficient rules – and rightly so. Matt Mitrione’s eye looked absolutely horrendous by the end of that fight. I’ve seen baseballs smaller than that thing.
Eye pokes are a common mishap in MMA. You just can’t avoid them thanks to the nature of the sport and design of the glove. It’s GOING to happen. But knowing all this can also work to your advantage. Most often then none, eye pokes are never deliberate, but you can’t always tell. It’s strange that people of Gregg Jackson’s gym are known for eye pokes. Jon Jones, Travis Browne, heck Mike Winklejohn damaged an eye from a ‘toe nail’. What’s up with these guys and eye pokes?
Obviously there’s no way to prove this.
According to Mitrione’s observations of the fight (and having been the eye POKEE too), Gary Forman, the referee of the match neglected the rules of the game, reporting fight discrepancies and not taking strict measures to ensure the fighter’s safety.
First error in judgment occurs at the 4:49 mark of round one. Travis should’ve been sent to his corner during the first time-out following the eye poke – but he didn’t’.
Forman in no certain way notified the commission if the eye poke was intentional, a mistake or a foul.
According MMA journalist Duane Finley the complaint letter read: “Mitrione was about to strike Browne with an undefended right hook to the head following a straight left lead,” it read. “As a result of Browne’s position in reaction to Mitrione’s fair combinations of strikes, Browne was able to defend being struck by Mitrione’s legal attack only by employing the illegal blow.
“Accordingly, the foul should have been judged intentional and Browne should have been disqualified.”
According to the complaint, Browne went for the eye again that stifled Mitrione’s attack – mistake or not, maybe that should’ve been called a foul (again).
“The referee committed an inexplicable error by failing to call time out, by failing to assess the foul from the second illegal blow at the earliest opportunity and by failing to disqualify Browne,” the complaint read. “Browne then sought to exploit his illegal blow (and the referee’s compounding errors) by pressing the fight harder and by attempting to finish the fight while Mitrione was injured from the foul and attempting to recover.”
The document ascertains that Forman acknowledged the second foul, warning Browne but failing to call time-out at the time of incident. Mistakes over mistakes it seems.
“Referee Forman knowingly endangered Mitrione… by improperly forcing him to fight for an additional 33 seconds while obviously injured and compromised.”
The complaint also registers that Forman should have stopped the bout on the 3:55 mark of round two when the timeout was called and that the third round was not a legal one and should be removed from the record in its entirety.
The complaint finally pleads to the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission to revoke Forman’s license as a referee due to a history of being a fight promoter and his inexperience in officiating high-level bouts, calling for his disciplining to make an example of him.
“Accordingly, in light of multiple errors committed by the referee and other licensees and officials, it is impossible to conclude that the MMA contest between Mitrione and Browne at UFN 81 was conducted fairly,” the complaint stated. “We hereby appeal the decision of this contest and request that the commission overturn the decision and declare Mitrione the winner by disqualifying Browne. Alternatively, the bout must be declared a no contest.”
Matt Mitrione’s complaint is registered for review by the commission and is set to deliver judgment after the proof and variables have been scrutinized. Based on their decision, they will suspend/revoke/ or issue reprimand on the licensee.
Will it overturn his fight? Maybe not. He could have made the case right there and then but he carried on fighting instead. Wise? Maybe not – but one thing is for sure, the meathead’s got a solid case, with evidence.