Media Proof that Eddie Alvarez's punches on Iuri Lapicus were illegal

[Sticko]

This is from last Wednesday's ONE Championship card where Eddie Alvarez got a round 1 DQ for repeatedly punching Iuri Lapicus in the back of the head.

Firstly, this video shows the fight-ending sequence in real time. Alvarez throws 8 punches before Lapicus falls. After the second punch the ref loudly yells "watch the back of the head!" There's a pause, then the next 6 punches come in quick succession, with the ref warning him two more times as these punches land. Second warning comes after the 4th punch lands.



I got a free video-editing software program to grab some screenshots of each punch. Alvarez has fast hands so it's hard to do with just YouTube. You need something where you can go frame by frame.



Alvarez lands 3 more punches after Iuri falls. I didn't screenshot them because the ref has already decided to stop the fight at this point.

As a reminder, this is the area you're not allowed to hit under the back of the head rule. The narrow mohawk starts at the top of the ears, below that, it's much wider.

If we go back to our friend Iuri for a minute, we get something like this:



Now maybe #6 and #8 were borderline, but #1 and #2 looked illegal. Then there's a warning, then #3 and #4 also look illegal, then another warning. Then a third warning as the last 4 punches land. If punch #7 is legal, then what are we even doing? Just stop pretending we even have a rule.

#prayforiuri

 

[GueseGuy]

They were definitely illegal shots. But Lapicus definitely played it up. It’s a shitty situation all around. Just gotta pick up the pieces and move on from here.

 

[djason1988]

They were illegal, but at the same time you can't be presenting the back of your head to avoid getting punched. He was gaming the system hard, while in a position where he wouldn't have really taken heavy damage anyway

 

[IMPmmath]

Hopefully they run it back soon.i guess it was a #1 contender fight to see who fights the winner of tonights title fight.

 

[Sticko]

I don't really have an opinion on whether or how much Iuri may have milked it. I believe he was removed from the cage on a stretcher and as far as I know he hasn't spoken publicly about what happened. I assume Iuri is fine but it's kind of beside the point.

Iuri may have been "playing the game," as they say, but Alvarez earned his DQ.

 

[Phisher]

Intent is what matters.

The guy who helped right the rules thinks it was a BS DQ.

 

[Mat]

Alvarez desperately wants to get back on a winning streak. He forgot about the rules though. Dude needs to chill.

 

[Sticko]

Intent is what matters.

The guy who helped right the rules thinks it was a BS DQ.

He was verbally warned 3 times and punched his opponent 8 times. He kept hitting the same spot after being warned.

Ref's job is not to be a literal mind-reader since that's impossible. There has to be some kind of dividing line between fouls considered "accidental" and fouls considered "intentional" and if disregarding a ref's repeated verbal warning doesn't qualify as intentional then nothing does.

 

[You Will Vote For Dreyga]

Super illegal

 

[Sticko]

If you asked BLM, those punches were to the front of the neck causing a blood choke

Hmm I can see why you're on a double yellow

 

[Egészségére!]

The ref could’ve handled it better. If, when he was saying “watch the back of the head” those were actually strikes to the back of the head, he should have stopped the action and given Eddie a warning & Lapicus time to recover. After all the guy was hit with an illegal strike right? Eddie gets warned, loses position but the fight continues like everyone wants. Instead he allowed the illegal punches to continue resulting in a DQ with a dude carried out of a stretcher. Could have been avoided with better reffing.

 

[Sticko]

The ref could’ve handled it better. If, when he was saying “watch the back of the head” those were actually strikes to the back of the head, he should have stopped the action and given Eddie a warning & Lapicus time to recover. After all the guy was hit with an illegal strike right? Eddie gets warned, loses position but the fight continues like everyone wants. Instead he allowed the illegal punches to continue resulting in a DQ with a dude carried out of a stretcher. That could have been avoided.

You're right, and iirc later that same evening Mighty Mouse lost position for a strike to the back of the head of Adriano Moraes. Not sure if it was the same ref

 

[BabyBlue_Bomber]

I don’t think anyone is disputing that the strikes were illegal...

I think what everyone is complaining about is that he seemed to be acting like he couldn’t keep fighting when people felt he could.

Personally, I feel that nobody knows how Lapicus felt after taking those strikes, aside from Lapicus himself, so if he felt he couldn’t continue, then who are we to argue?

Maybe he was pretending, maybe he wasn’t, but I will always give a fighter the benefit of the doubt.

 

[ColombianFist]

ONE already said those were illlegal.

Eddie should man up and take the L.

 

[Reffson]

He turned his head to avoid getting hit. This is not fighting. The rules suck. Warnings would have been enough. DC got 4 warnings for sticking his fingers in Stipe's eyes and he won the fight after the 5th, which was the worst.

 

[JonJonesNeedle]

Some of them were illegal, and Iuri definitely played up to it.

But this biggest thing is that Alvarez was warned multiple times about it yet still did it. This is not the first time he has done illegal blows, i recall him doing it for both Dustin fights. He needs to stop cheating and using illegal moves.

 

[Sticko]

He turned his head to avoid getting hit. This is not fighting. The rules suck. Warnings would have been enough. DC got 4 warnings for sticking his fingers in Stipe's eyes and he won the fight after the 5th, which was the worst.

How are warnings enough if the fighter who is warned ignores the warnings?

 

[Johnnny]

The referee should have stopped the fight when Lapicus turned his head away from the punches. He wasn't defending himself.

If your opponent has you controlled in a position from which you are making no effort to escape and your opponent starts punching you in the head from said position, and you respond by turning your head away from the incoming punches, so that you can't see them, then you are not intelligently defending yourself. Surrendering the back of your head because you know can't be punched there should not be allowed as a strategy. It's really just a form of submitting.

The second that Lapicus turned his head away while Alvarez was controlling him and punching him in the head, the referee should have warned Lapicus, telling him "defend yourself intelligently or I'm going to stop the fight."

 

[DebtCollectorMMA]

I'm aiming for the back of the head in a street fight. The dude sounded like a wild boar being attacked by a tiger.

 

[Pizza Werewolf]

Omg they should totally press charges!