Controversial blows were applied by J. Aldo (left) to C. Mendes (right) at the end of R1. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
One of the most controversial moves at UFC Rio 5, held last Saturday (25), was the knockdown that José Aldo applied to Chad Mendes a few moments after the bell sounded at the end of the first round. Despite the various criticisms leveled at the Brazilian fighter for illegal strikes, Mendes' head coach, Duane Ludwig, went public to state that he also hadn't realized that the first round was over.
“The audience was screaming so loud that I didn’t hear it myself. I heard the signal that indicated that there were ten seconds left until the end of the round, so I knew there was little left, but I didn't hear the gong ring”, explained Ludwig, in an interview with the website of the North American broadcaster “ESPN”.
READ: Referee complains about the noise to justify Aldo's blows
Ludwig stated that he only discovered what had happened after the fight ended. “I found out during the interviews. I heard Dana [White, UFC president] talking about this. I said ‘wow, there were two punches after the bell,’” he said.
Despite recognizing the nuances of the situation, Ludwig stated that if there is anyone to blame for the incident, it is the fight referee, Marc Goddard. “He should have been smarter, knowing there were only ten seconds left. There wasn't much action until the ten second bell, so we could all hear it. Once Aldo heard it, I think he started going all out”, concluded Ludwig.
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