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Sun Jul 20, 2008 6:00 pm EDT

Johnson ready to rumble after latest MMA ref controversy

By Steve Cofield

Anthony "Rumble" Johnson was on his way to a unanimous victory on national television and then it all changed with what was supposedly was a left jab by Kevin Burns. Johnson (pictured) took a brutal poke to his right eye. Blinded and in excruciating pain, Johnson went down like he'd been shot in the head. Referee Steve Mazzagatti never saw the poke. When Mazzagatti failed to step in, Kevin Burns hesitated and then pounced on Johnson  It was stopped with the win to Burns.

A few hours after the fight, Johnson still had no idea why the fight wasn't a no-contest.

"They didn't say nothing. Nobody has given me an excuse. The only thing I've heard from fans and even the staff of UFC was that it's bullsh*t."

Johnson was asked if his act of jumping to the floor fooled Mazzagatti.

"All I know I turned around and I was screaming. Honestly, his finger went in my eye. It hurt like hell. I've never had that happen before, not that deep at least."

CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN TO POST-FIGHT INTERVIEW WITH JOHNSON (w/Cofield):

Johnson wasn't in the mood to hear why Mazzagatti missed the call.

"You could see it in slow motion. Usually someone will just drop from an uppercut. I turned around from the poke in the eye. I don't know what he was looking at. If he knows it's a bad call, he has live with it."

Burns, who was warned several times during the fight, did explain in the ring why he throws his left hand in that fashion.

"It was extremely accidental. I throw a palm strike with my left hand. I broke it three times in 16 months, so I have to throw it as a palm. I can't throw it as a closed fist. I feel unfair in a way, we can do it again."

Considering the fact that Mazzagatti did warn Burns about eye pokes, it's surprising that he didn't pick up on the fight ender.

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17 Comments

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  1. manathebeach
    1. Posted by manathebeach Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:05 pm EDT

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    It didn't look like an accident. Burns was losing and took desperate measures. Burns needs to step up an except his loss like a man.
  2. manathebeach
    2. Posted by manathebeach Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:05 pm EDT

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    I meant to say accept.
  3. urwrecked
    3. Posted by urwrecked Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:45 pm EDT

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    That talk of my hand was broken and I throw palms is garbage. He clearly ' thumbed ' the guy repeatedly.. Horrible call.. If Burns cant throw a punch with hand balled up, he should not be allowed to fight period. That is career ending stuff with those "accidental" fingers.....
  4. cthespots
    4. Posted by cthespots Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:32 pm EDT

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    I hate to say this but the UFC announcers were talking about Burns being in the fight the entire night and I didn't agree at all... they talk about AJ being tired from dropping weight but he didn't look tired. AJ had the fight won and the missed poke seemed suspicious to me.
    When the replay shows it to be that obvious to what happened you'd think they could rule the fight accordingly.
  5. Lb And Submit
    5. Posted by Lb And Submit Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:35 pm EDT

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    Mazzagatti really should be fired or something for that. Burns poked him in the eye atleast 3 to 4 times and all he did was keep warning him, didnt take a point away, just kept warning him. And I have never seen someone get knocked out and scream on the way down, obviously something happened. He didn't go limp, he just turned and went down, horrible ref call there.
  6. NickG
    6. Posted by NickG Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:27 pm EDT

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    Good interview, I hate to see such a botched outcome in the UFC these days, considering how far it's come. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Johnson and less of Burns.
  7. Dubya b
    7. Posted by Dubya b Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:12 pm EDT

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    It WAS an accident. He was only poked three other times before in the same fight.
  8. fred_budget
    8. Posted by fred_budget Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:03 pm EDT

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    whether or not it was accidental or on purpose, johnson shouldn't have reacted so dramatically, when anyone else gets poked, they simply cover up their eye and make it obvious instead of spinning around and dropping like he had taken a hard punch. at first glance, from the ref's angle, it appeared he went down from the jab, yelping in pain and dropping to cover your face isn't the way to plead your case though, rookie mistake, he's not goin anywhere though
  9. Ghetto Defender
    9. Posted by Ghetto Defender Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:47 pm EDT

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    #10 must have never been poked in the eye really hard. I have and it really hurts bad. if you can't make a fist, you shouldn't be allowed in the ring. I guess instant replay is not an option in the UFC.
  10. urwrecked
    10. Posted by urwrecked Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:45 pm EDT

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    Fred-Budget..
    I have been thumbed and it wasn't real serious, so I did what you said, just kind of covered my eye. That was with boxing gloves. I got poked in the eye with a finger and did almost the exact same thing as Johnson. If you have ever had a sharp object like a fingernail rammed in your eye, you would understand the reaction.. It is mad painful and scary.. Losing your sight is no joke. My first trainer when i was kid had a bum eye with cataract all from getting thumbed. It is a bad foul, and possibly career ending. I would like to see you post 'thumb' standing there calmly pleading your case when it feels like your eye just left your head and lodged on your opponents finger...
  11. Patrón
    11. Posted by Patrón Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:01 pm EDT

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    They should let Rumble poke him back then get on with the fight...
  12. nathaniel d
    12. Posted by nathaniel d Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:56 pm EDT

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    they cheated fair and square. There's no way the ref didn't know that he didn't get poked in the eye.. think it's racial more than anything.
  13. Rickey Runs
    13. Posted by Rickey Runs Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:40 pm EDT

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    It WAS an accident. He was only poked three other times before in the same fight. Dubya b posted on Monday, Jul 21, 2008 6:18 am EDT
    LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
  14. urwrecked
    14. Posted by urwrecked Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:45 pm EDT

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    ^
    I thought Dubya b was being sarcastic.. I sure hope so... If not, Dubya, dude, Have you ever been thumbed??? Once is enough when your gloves have no tips covering your fingers..
    As for the racial thing.. Well I sure hope not. It would be a shame. He was fighting well and was very classy in a b.s. loss. i dont think I would of been so gracious.. I hope he gets a rematch soon. He was working that dude and I think would of got him if he did not get his eye taken out..
  15. Kelven S
    15. Posted by Kelven S Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:07 pm EDT

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    Mazzagatti Should Be Fired!!!! He is without a doubt the worst ref. in mma.Lesner vs Mirr he took a piont away for hitting to the back of the head and no point for 4 pokes to the eye. UFC should never use this bum for any more macthes. Maybe he can get a job with WWE.
  16. MJ touched hearts and kiddies private parts
    16. Posted by MJ touched hearts and kiddies private parts Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:52 pm EDT

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    Let me get this straight, the referee repeatedly warned Burns for poking in the eye, then didn't have the common sense to perhaps deduce that Johnson's injury may have come from ANOTHER poke in the eye. A man with At the very least, the referee should have consulted with the judges, or viewed a replay before announcing the official, and mistaken verdict.
    A referee with Mazzagatti's experience shurely should know a fighters different reactions to a variety of blows. There is no way that Johnson's reaction could have been the result of anything other than a poke in the eye.
    As for fred_budget, the line starts behind me to see how much he could withstand an eye poke.
  17. urwrecked
    17. Posted by urwrecked Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:45 pm EDT

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    It wasn't like Johnson went down and out. The went down and start howling about his eye. Mazzagatii did Johnson a real disservice. And how do they call it a TKO ?? Thats crazy.....Should of been a DQ....

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