Phumi Nkuta responded to referee Herb Dean’s defense of his controversial stoppage at Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano.
An eventful night at the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano event ended with a 17-second finish by the UFC Hall of Famer Rousey. Just a few fights before the main event, a bout between former ONE champion Adriano Moraes and unbeaten prospect Phumi Nkuta made headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Nkuta was on the verge of pulling off an upset over Moraes on the scorecards before he was choked unconscious by a rear-naked choke with one second left in the fight. Upon replay review, fans and analysts noticed that Nkuta didn’t lose consciousness until after the final bell, and Moraes was controversially awarded the stoppage win.
Referee Herb Dean came under fire from former UFC champion Aljamain Sterling and others for his latest head-scratching decision. Nkuta and his team have filed an appeal with the California State Athletic Commission after the fight.
Dean has since defended his decision to stop the fight and award Moraes the victory in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani. It didn’t take long for Nkuta to take notice, especially as fans continue to cry foul on the bizarre moment.
Phumi Nkuta takes the high road in response to Herb Dean’s defense of stoppage
In a recent interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Nkuta responded to Dean’s comments.
Nkuta is fighting the hands as the bell rings and Moraes holds the choke for an extra second or two (or three) after the bell.
I think that the wrong call was made. pic.twitter.com/mV9MNQPBgU
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) May 17, 2026
“He said I was out before the bell, and then said [Moraes] held it for a fraction of a second,” Nkuta said.
“He’s not going to be my Keith Peterson. I know he’s trying to do his job. Being a referee in this sport where there’s so much going on, it’s not easy, so I’m not going to hate on Herb or say he’s a bad person or whatever. That’s not my job; I’m not going to attack his character or anything like that.
“But I disagree. And we have angles on film where you can see me fighting the choke as the bell goes off. I’m still grimacing as the bell goes off,” Nkuta continued. “If I’m grimacing and still fighting the choke at the bell, how am I out before?”
As of this writing, the result of Nkuta’s appeal remains uncertain. He called for a rematch with Moraes in the interview referenced above.
What are your thoughts on the Phumi Nkuta vs. Adriano Moraes stoppage? Let us know in the comments!