(Editor’s note: Updated at 12:50 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019, to add comments from Campbell.)
In the main-card curtain jerker of Saturday night’s Bellator 232, Kevin Ferguson Jr. found himself back in the win column – but only for a short time.
By Monday afternoon, the Mohegan Department of Athletic Regulation overturned “Baby Slice’s” 38-second TKO victoryagainst Craig Campbell.
Commission officials deemed Ferguson’s finish came as a result of illegal elbows to the back of the head, which were missed by referee Bryan Miner. The bout was subsequently ruled a no contest.
Shortly after receiving a call from Mohegan Sun commission chief Michael Mazzulli, Ferguson spoke to MMA Junkie about the issue. Mazzulli could not be reached for comment.
“I thought the fight was fair, and everything went the right way,” Ferguson said. “I didn’t see anything wrong with it. … It was out of my control, so it’s in God’s hands now. I don’t really want to think about it. I don’t even care.”
“Baby Slice” also cited Bellator color commentator John McCarthy’s analysis on the broadcast. The former referee did not believe the shots were illegal. After watching the replay, Ferguson agreed.
“I wasn’t throwing downward elbows,” Ferguson said. “Everything was angled to the side. The first one landed to the side of the head, which he dropped from that one. Then as I was throwing the second one, he was already going down. That one kind of landed on the back, but it was still top of the head.
“That’s when I heard the referee say, ‘Watch those shots.’ So I switched it. Then, I landed another one, and it landed on the side of the ear. Then, I switched to hammerfists. So I don’t know, that’s their call. It is what it is.”
Despite having a win revoked, Ferguson said he isn’t fazed. In his mind, he went out there, performed to the best of his ability, and dominated his opponent.
“I still went out there and did my thing,” Ferguson said. “I did what I was supposed to do. That was their decision. It was out of my control. I did my job. Even (Mazzulli) said he thought everything was legal, except one of them. He said if they just land one that’s not, they could overturn it.”
One thing is certain in Ferguson’s mind. He has no interest in a rematch against Campbell. “Baby Slice” believes the Texan wanted out of the fight. Ferguson doesn’t want to run the risk of running into another incident in a rematch.
“I think that’s just those guys being a sore loser, that’s all,” Ferguson said. “It’s just them being sore losers. … I wouldn’t rematch him just because of the way about it. So nah, he’ll never get a rematch from me.”
On the flip side of the coin, Campbell has a very different take on the situation. Campbell on Tuesday told MMA Junkie it was the right call. As soon as he got back to the locker room and watched the tape, he immediately went to Mazzulli to challenge the decision.
“I think his lack of experience at the amateur and pro level kind of showed there,” Campbell said. “If he pulls it to the side of my head, I’ve got no complaints. I’ve got no problem losing to another man. I told him that. But there’s rules for a reason … Unfortunately, I think it put a real damper on the fight.”
At the time Campbell challenged the loss, he thought there was next to no chance the commission would actually overturn the bout.
“I’m part of this fight game and run my own regional promotion,” Campbell said. “I’ve been fighting for years. I know what this game is. I did not expect it at all. I did it just for due diligence. I feel like the rules weren’t followed. I had to do my best to protect myself because it seemed like no one else was there to protect me.”
Unlike Ferguson, Campbell would like to run the fight back in the future. The Texas-based fighter finds Ferguson’s claims of him wanting out laughable. Things would go down much differently in the rematch, according to Campbell.
“At least six of those blows were illegal and now he’s saying he doesn’t want to rematch,” said Campbell. “That cracks me up. To say I’m scared when I went up two weight classes to a fake weight class on two weeks’ notice for a guy who hasn’t fought anyone with a winning record? Yeah, I’m scared.”
'Baby Slice' disputes Bellator 232 no contest because of elbows, says opponent wanted out (Updated)
