In a bizarre scene of events, an MMA fighter got disqualified for a very ridiculous reason. This happened in a fight organized by a New York-based promotion called Flex Fights.
Jason White, who was featured in his third amateur fight was seen having a problem with his cup which was meant to protect his groin area. In just two seconds after the fighter started, the cup fell down. The referee gave it back to the fighter and resumed the action after giving him a warning.
When the same thing happened just after a few seconds, the referee was in no mood to continue the fight and called it off. The fighter Jason White was disqualified for the rarest of rare reasons.
According to the Unified Rules of MMA, there is a clear instruction for male martial artists to wear proper groin protection gear. So, the fight fans who went to enjoy Flex fights: Tiki Takedown 25 in Long Island, New York witnessed one of the most unusual ends to a MMA bout.
Have to check state jurisdiction, but that is not the rule anywhere that I am aware of. You must have the appropriate attire when the action starts, you do not have to maintain that attire while the action is going. Mouthpieces come out all the time, by example. You have seen the… https://t.co/UW10ZZoTqg
— Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) July 18, 2023
Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen found the referee’s acts of immediately disqualifying the fighter against the rules. Sonnen tweeted that the fighters have to wear the cup at the start of the fight and not maintain it throughout the action.
As per Chael Sonnen, the referee could have asked the fighter to put on his cup back as a courtesy but there was no point in stopping the match because it is not in the rules.
He gave the example of mouthpieces that fall out of the fighters’ mouths all the time. The retired mixed martial artist also thought that Jason White should file a protest regarding this matter.
The announcers knew there was a problem even before the fight started
As Jason White was struggling with his gear, the announcers had an idea that something was not right with the fighter. “I want to point out how much Jason, the fighter in white, was fiddling with his cup,” an announcer said before the fight began. (Via MMA Junkie)
I have obtained the clip and it is glorious. For the record, I think most of the blame here lies with Jason’s manager so don’t be mean to the guy https://t.co/oWz3jmEGd2 pic.twitter.com/BQrzrXttNI
— Harry Mac (@bbharrymac) July 16, 2023
He also advised the fighters to invest their money in good apparatus that will only help them with their career. The announcer further pointed out that the gear that was causing the issue here is not even that expensive.
This unfortunate decision led to a third consecutive loss for Jason White. His opponent Tommy Cox registered his second win in the two fights he has featured in. Even Cox would have enjoyed the victory more if it came because of his skills.