Former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos lost to Curyl Gane via referee stoppage at UFC 256 on December 12, 2020. With that, JDS’s record dropped to 0-4 his last four, all via TKO in Round 1 or 2.
The finish generated some controversy, as the Unified Rules around strikes to the back of the head are not as clear as they are for, for example, an eye poke. One standard to judge whether a blow landed cleanly is whether contact was made with the ear. If there was none, then it’s an illegal blow, if there was, likely not. There was contact with the ear, but it was via the elbow/forearm, which of course has a far greater striking surface than does a fist. Further, both fighters bear responsibility in these circumstances – you can’t hit the back of the head, but neither can the struck fighter turn away mid-attack.
This is one view of what happened.
https://twitter.com/blue_fighting/status/1337963664201101312
In a recent interview with Brazil’s AG Fight, JDS was upset that the UFC did not protest the stoppage.
The UFC never said a word, said dos Santos, as translated by Lucas Rezende for BE. It’s fine by them. I find that absurd. A clearly illegal shot and the president and a bunch of fighters think that what happened was acceptable. Actually, everyone agrees that it was illegal, but they said I turned around and positioned myself that way. To make a comparison, which I don’t even think I should, that’s like blaming the victim for a crime of theft, murder, or rape. I don’t think it was intentional, but that doesn’t make it any less illegal. They said I turned around. I didn’t. I was already standing sideways for about eight seconds and you can see the elbow hit the back of my head from there.
I think they’re trying to make this blow over because of the negative point I currently am in my career. I was coming off three losses and he is a guy on the rise, undefeated. Maybe they want to capitalize on that. I don’t know and I don’t care. I just want justice to be made.
Professionally, it’s has been rather heavy moment in my career. This is a tough sport and you need to be psychologically healthy in order to give your best. I feel great physically, but I feel like my psychological side has been affected. You have to tear down so many walls that it takes a toll. I’ve been dedicating myself to put my mind in the right place. I love to fight, I want to go on, I’m one of the best heavyweights to ever do it. It hasn’t been happening for me in the Octagon lately. I just need to make some adjustments and that’s what I’m trying to do.
This year of 2021, I’ll shut up a lot of mouths. What gets me are people who say they understand fighting going against me for this moment, like everything is fine. This year will be to shut up this kind of thing. It’s the year to lap them in the face, to silence everyone who doubts me. I’ll turn it all around. It’s the year to make adjustments and make it happen.
