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UFC Atlanta fighter breaks silence after controversial fight ending

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Drew Beaupre | Last updated Jun 16, 2025 12:38 PM ET

Last Saturday’s UFC Atlanta provided plenty for combat sports fans to talk about this week, but that doesn't mean everything that happened at the event was positive.

Taking place at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA, UFC Atlanta was headlined by a welterweight bout that saw former divisional titleholder Kamaru Usman snap a three-fight skid and earn his first win since 2021 when he defeated Joaquin Buckley via unanimous decision.

Usman’s performance has understandably generated praise from the combat sports community after there were questions heading into UFC Atlanta about whether or not “Nigerian Nightmare” could still compete with elite welterweights, but the night’s featured prelim fight between Paul Craig and Rodolfo Bellato has also generated plenty of talk in the days following the event.

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Rodolfo Bellato Addresses Controversial Result

Scheduled to close out the seven-fight prelim portion of UFC Atlanta, Bellato entered the night as a sizeable favorite to best former light heavyweight contender Craig, who came into the matchup on a three-fight losing streak.

Things took an unexpected turn late in the first round, as Craig landed an illegal up kick from his back that sent Bellato to the canvas and resulted in the fight being declared a No Contest after quite a bit of deliberation.

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Bellato’s reaction and body language during the sequence led some fans to question whether or not the Brazilian was hoping to score a win via disqualification, which “Trator” staunchly denied in an Instagram post addressing the incident.

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A post shared by Rodolfo "Trator" Bellato (@rodolfotrator_ufc)

"I saw some things on the internet, saying I was an actor there and stuff.. the moment i was on the ground, i didn't expect to get kicked in the face (illegally).. it was a strong kick, when I looked at the judge to complain, my whole body began to tingle and my vision disappeared.. after that i dont remember anything...Anyone who's known me the longest knows I would NEVER do this, I've never run from war. I hit 2x in less than 30 days, 2 trips in a row. Why would I fake something after all I been through and on top of that winning the first round?"

Paul Craig Weighs-In On No Contest

Bellato joined the promotion off of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023 and debuted with a second-round finish of Ihor Potieira, but he now boasts a unique 1-0-1 1 NC record in the UFC after he also fought to a draw with Jimmy Crute in his sophomore outing at UFC 312.

It’s unclear yet if the UFC will try to rebook the light heavyweight matchup following the strange ending at UFC Atlanta, and while Craig did acknowledge that the replay of the incident looked a bit “floppish” he also asserted that it was his fault for landing the illegal up kick in the first place.

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The main card of UFC Atlanta also featured a somewhat confusing ending to a fight between undefeated middleweight Mansur Abdul-Malik and Cody Brundage, as Abdul-Malik scored what looked to be a TKO win in the third round before it was changed to a technical decision due to an accidental clash of heads during the finishing sequence.