The match between Eckerlin and De Oliveira is cancelled! In the spirit of fairness, the GEMMAF Technical Commission unanimously decided to change the verdict to No Contest

Christian Eckerlin’s fight with Denilson De Oliveira was widely discussed. The Brazilian had his German opponent kicked twice in the groin, with Eckerlin taking his time getting back into the match. The Brazilian lodged a protest for not hitting him the first time and now the verdict is out, which is that the match is nullified.

Christian Eckerlin got the win over Brazilian Denilson De Oliveira at the first German Oktagon tournament. However, there was one very controversial moment in the fight.

The German slumped to the ground after taking a punch to the midsection, claiming he was hit in the groin. Referee Pavel Touš stopped the fight and after a few minutes it resumed.

The Brazilian then hit him cleanly once more, but Eckerlin resumed and eventually ended it. However, De Oliveira disagreed with the first interruption when he could have ended it and lodged a protest.

Now the result is known, which probably many did not expect.“The referee was not optimally positioned for the action. His vision was limited and he could not clearly see the impact point of De Oliveira’s knee. The referee reacts immediately and can clearly see that after a few quick steps he tries to intervene with his left hand.

However, the referee hesitates, then backs off a bit to stop the match after 4 more hits from De Oliveira, without finally ending it with several waves of his hand. He then assesses the situation as a punch to the genitals, which he could not clearly see due to his position in the octagon.

In order to reach a correct verdict, the referee must obtain the opinion of the judges and (if available) view the video footage. The referee did not use the video option. Finally, the ratings of the various video sequences and opinions, as noted above, clearly show that the knee strike in question was a legal body blow.

The illegal kick was not viewable in the unanimous opinion. You can also see Eckerlin holding his rib area just after the hit. The referee misjudged the situation, which had a major impact on the flow of the match. In the spirit of fairness and concern for the sport, the GEMMAF Technical Committee unanimously decided to change the verdict to No Contest,” informed GEMMAF.

As a result, the bout was officially nullified and Eckerlin will have to wait for his 15th career win. Quite possibly we will see their fight at the next tournament in Frankfurt in the fall.

Source:: GEMMAF, MMA Shorties