Jack Della Maddalena left it late against Gilbert Burns at UFC 299 but many believe referee Dan Miragliotta was quite late as well. Late in the third round, he struck Burns with a devastating knee right out of a clinch. Burns was rocked and fell down but Miragliotta let Burns get pounded for several more seconds before finally calling it a stop. The Brazilian could not even get up in time for the decision announcement as Maddalena stood alone with the ref.
What a finish to this fight by Jack Della Maddalena 👏
He pulls through in round three to get the TKO! #UFC299 pic.twitter.com/be6pIihdvO
— UFC (@ufc) March 10, 2024
Burns was expected to incorporate takedowns and submission attempts in the UFC 299 battle with the Australian. Right off the bat, Burns got a few clean strikes in before getting a takedown and keeping Maddalena down for a while. The Aussie, however, was not staying down. He continuously fought his way back up and defended against takedowns. Moreover, his striking was brutal as well.
The second round was also a similar story with Durinho attempting takedowns and Maddalena defending it. However, much of the fight was still being fought on the feet, and as Burns claimed during the JAXXON PODCAST earlier, the Aussie’s boxing was extraordinary. Maddalena struck some great combinations but somehow Burns was the one with some of the strongest strikes of the night.
Still Undefeated 💪 #UFC299 pic.twitter.com/QWpsNTJPin
— UFC (@ufc) March 10, 2024
An evenly fought contest went into the third round and Burns had Jack on the ground for a good while. However, the Aussie pulled off an amazing reversal to get back up and strike a devastating knee to the Brazilian’s face. Burns was absolutely dazed and fell to the ground. Maddalena continued to pound his grounded opponent for several more seconds before the ref called a stoppage.
Fans suspect a late stoppage from Dan Miragliotta as Jack Maddalena knocks out Gilbert Burns at UFC 299
After the referee called the stoppage, Burns was left lying there bleeding due to strikes he received. Burns was being treated and it seemed like he was having trouble getting up. Fans were of the idea that it was a late stoppage from Miragliotta. One fan wrote, “Gilbert Burns took all sort of unnecessary damage…late stoppage by the ref. UFC has to address this issue.”
Gilbert Burns took all sort of unnecessary damage…late stoppage by the ref. UFC has to address this issue.
— Jerry (@reconjerry) March 10, 2024
Another fan wrote, “Yeah that was about a dozen more strikes than necessary. Late stoppage.” Several more fans called it a late stoppage. One wrote, “Horrendously late stoppage.” Another wrote, “Feel like this was a very late stoppage. What was the ref watching?” Meanwhile, another fan was concerned about Burns and wrote, “Burns get up bro.”
Horrendously late stoppage
— Xach (@XachMMA) March 10, 2024
It was revealed that Burns was leading 20-18 in two judges’ scorecards and the other judge scored the fight 19-19 after two rounds. Maddalena’s finish was essential for his win. Maddalena is now 7-0 in the UFC. He called out Shavkat Rakhmonov after the fight in his Octagon interview. The Aussie is now expected to enter the top 5 rankings.