David Kozma and “problem” words. Would the referee keep Kaiko Brito in the game that long? The domestic scene should change

Comment: It’s over. David Kozma has lost his belt and is no longer welterweight champion. He was overwhelmingly defeated by Kaik Brito, who in turn put on a phenomenal performance. After the fight, however, there was some discussion as to whether the fight should have been stopped a little earlier. The Pink Panther then said words at the press conference that cast a bad shadow on the domestic scene.

The Octagon has arguably had the best tournament not only of the year, but quite possibly in the history of the organization. Only this time it wasn’t without some slight controversy over some of the results.

The most talked about, however, is the main event, in which David Kozma lost his title to Kaiko Brito. The Brazilian fighter landed two knockdowns on the home star in the first round alone, two more came in the second round and another was seen in the third, where the fight was already stopped.

Fans on social media were abundantly dissecting the entire fight. Including whether it should have been stopped earlier or if it was stopped early. There was also discussion about whether the referee would have let it go on so long if it wasn’t Kozma.

However, the Pink Panther said words in the press conference that could potentially jeopardize the reputation of the Octagon and indeed the domestic scene.

What did Kozma say and what’s wrong with it?

The Octagon is currently one of the biggest organizations at least in Europe, if it is not the biggest organization at all. However, it still intends to rank among the world’s top, and for that, besides the performances, the performances of the judges must also help.

It’s complicated with referees, of course. They are regularly under fire from critics in any organisation. Including in the UFC. There are many reasons for this, but if there is one good thing about the UFC, it is the fact that it is a “big pond” in which not everyone knows each other.

Of course, we are referring to David Kozma’s statement at the press conference.I always tell them. I know all of them, I’m friends with them, but I don’t think he jumped in early.”

The referee in the cage has to make decisions with the fighter’s health in mind first and foremost. With Kozma, we all know he has a big heart and tremendous stamina. Of course, this was a title fight, but there is a clear question.

Would any home referee have let the fight go on this long if the situation was reversed and Kaik Brito was in similar trouble? It probably wouldn’t have occurred to him in the first place that the referee shouldn’t have intervened too early. In the second row, he has no relationship with the umpires in general and that is exactly how it should be.

Jan Vobornik, who officiated the cage match, has a very good relationship with Kozma. Even this nomination itself is a topic of discussion.

It is worth mentioning that it was not so long ago when after Viktor Peshta’s fight with Stephan Pütz it was discussed whether the Czech fighter’s manager was not Pavel Touš, the referee who refereed the fight in the cage.

Touš is indeed the manager. Kozma, for example. And that shouldn’t be the case.

A parallel with the UFC? It’s possible, but it doesn’t exist

Of course, there is a parallel with the recent situation in the UFC, when TJ Dillashaw went to fight for the title, who challenged the champion Aljamain Sterling. Like Kozma, Dillashaw actually asked the referee before the fight not to end the fight early.

Dillashaw was having shoulder problems and was counting on the fact that he might be ejected during the match, which could understandably mean the end of the match. So the fighter informed the referee of his condition and prepared him for the situation.

Moreover, the American does not have a close, even friendly relationship with referee Marc Goddard. Moreover, after learning this information, the UFC addressed the fact that Dillashaw didn’t primarily address it with the organization, which, of course, might not have let him fight.

Situations that happen here are generally unacceptable in the UFC.

The Octagon is blameless. Time for a change?

While the whole situation may tarnish the Octagon’s reputation a bit, it is blameless. It is in no way to blame for who the fighters have as managers. Moreover, as promoter Ondrej Novotny has often claimed, MMA in our country was ahead of its time and became famous too quickly.

It’s a new sport that is still more or less in its infancy. Even though the Octagon is heading out into the world. Moreover, Oktagon does not influence the nominations of referees, it only hires them and does not interfere in any way in this regard.

The Czech Republic is small, Oktagon started almost as a family organization. More or less the whole scene knows each other, it’s still being built. And in order to eradicate that, it’s crucial that Oktagon grows further into the world. Mostly, it can help tremendously.

But the fact of the matter is that these things will have to slowly start to change. It’s a huge shame for the incredible work of the promoters and the entire organization to be tarnished in any way by things like this.

Because if some controversies were to happen in fights between domestic fighters and foreign fighters often and in similar situations, it could be a problem. In fact, one could then start talking about a certain irregularity and inequality, and that would, of course, not be beneficial.

Source: Ruik, Octagon MMA