Rodolfo Bellato Denies Faking Knockout Against Paul Craig at UFC Atlanta

[GrantB13]

Craig's heel didn't even hit his head or chin. At worst it hit his neck. The only thing I can think of is some sort of delayed loss of consciousness by striking the jugular but I don't know if that's scientific. It would be like a karate chop but with an upkick. Which hey, is the neck considered the head by the rules? If the traps and neck are legal targets then Craig should get it overturned to a KO win.

Edit: on some hasty research, it looks like you CAN knock someone out with a strike to the neck hitting the carotid arteries and/or Vagus nerve. So maybe Bellato wasn't completely faking.

 

[Skarsgard]

Not gonna say he was lying, but that is in the top five strangest knockouts I've ever seen. Right there with the time Alexander Emelianenko knocked his opponent out with a missed punch.

 

[BangBang]

I wouldn't underestimate the stench of Haggis feet and what they can do. Just saying.

 

[2004 account]

Dude lying says he felt the effects of a choke when it was blunt force impact, the type that either turns your brain off or it doesn't.


This man lacks integrity. First sign he isn't a true martial artist. Just a ufc fighter.

 

[BangBang]

Dude lying says he felt the effects of a choke when it was blunt force impact, the type that either turns your brain off or it doesn't.


This man lacks integrity. First sign he isn't a true martial artist. Just a ufc fighter.

He just wanted an easy way to get the win. He didn't need to put on that show though!

 

[El Fernas]

I aint reading his BS story, i mean, is he going to say "yeah i really over did it, my bad"... he faked it, he knows he faked it, everyone knows he faked it, but...nothing probably comes from it.

You will NEVER see a fighter that is winning a fight try so hard to get the W no matter what by faking getting hurt so bad from a foul they couldnt continue, point in case, Kayla Harrison...a belt was at stake, if dumb reffing calls it wrong then its a NC and she doesnt get the belt, and she was ahead on her way to win the thing, its always the fighter losing the fight.

For the most part KO´d fighters recover faster and better than those faking it...fact.

 

[JBJ was here]

Seems clear he was trying to get a point taken away then panicked when the ref stopped the fight immediately when he tried to look stunned by the shot after begging the ref didn't work. He figured he'd bounce right back, ready to continue, up 10-8 at the end of the round, but the ref messed that up by stepping in to stop the fight before Bellato had even finished hitting the mat (for those saying that Bellato was perhaps knocked out by hitting his head on the mat, he not only didn't hit hard but the ref had already stopped the fight by the time his head landed). The ref screwed up by stopping the fight way too quickly and Bellato panicked.

 

[Paolo Delutis]

​

Rodolfo Bellato has opened up on his controversial outing against Paul Craig at UFC Atlanta.


Bellato and Craig met in a preliminary light heavyweight clash at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Saturday. Bellato was trying to land ground-and-pound on Craig in the final seconds of the first round when he ate an illegal upkick that sent him crashing to the canvas. While “Trator” initially appeared to protest the illegal upkick, he started grappling with the referee moments later, seemingly out of confusion after being briefly unconscious. Bellato was deemed unable to continue, and the fight was declared a no contest due to an illegal blow.

Many fans and fighters alike later questioned the authenticity of Bellato’s reaction, accusing the Brazilian of bluffing. Bellato addressed the accusations, detailing what exactly transpired in those final seconds. Bellato claims that while he initially recognized the illegal kick and protested, he started losing consciousness immediately afterwards. Bellato also notes that this was the second time he made weight after the outing was postponed from May, and it made no sense to knowingly bail out in the first round. The 29-year-old also thinks he would have won the first stanza on the scorecards.

“God knows about all things! To everyone cheering for me, I'm in good health and will be back soon, thank you so much!” Bellato wrote on Instagram (via translte). “And 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 [weight twice] in less than 30 days, [two] trips in a row. Why would I fake something after all I been through and on top of that winning the first round? In the end ... I thank all the real ones for the positive messages. God is in charge.”

Craig also heard the rumors of Bellato faking the knockout, but he said wants to give the Brazilian the benefit of the doubt.

"It's my fault as much as it is his fault," Craig said at a post-fight media scrum. "We shouldn't be looking to persecute him if he's taking the knee. It was an illegal move."

Bellato now has a win, a loss, and a no contest in the UFC since making his debut in 2023. Meanwhile, Paul has registered only one win in his last seven outings.

READ HERE

Rodolfo Bellato Denies Faking Knockout Against Paul Craig at UFC Atlanta

Rodolfo Bellato has opened up on his controversial outing against Paul Craig at UFC Atlanta.

www.sherdog.com

Spoiler

@HHJ

@fujitsugroundnpound

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Lmfaoo


Brazil gunna brazil..

Everything went tingly and i blacked out ...hahahaha

 

[Mask Of Winters]

I counted four seconds from the time Bellatro went "out" to when he starts randomly thrashing his legs then butt-scoots against the cage. I do not think it's possible for someone to be unconscious for only four seconds then wake up fully capable of making immediate free will choices. He couldn't even manage to fake being KOd for even five seconds! If you're going to try and sell yourself to a DQ win at least be counting off the seconds in your head and wait until you get to at least ten before you "miraculously" revive I'd personally wait 15 seconds just to be on the safe side. And that butt scoot sure was lightning fast for a recently KOd person. I don't think he could've possibly done it any quicker. And then he even GETS UP TO ONE KNEE 15 seconds into the video before realizing that might give away his faking, then suddenly pretends to be "dazed and confused" again

 

[Doughie99]

​

Rodolfo Bellato has opened up on his controversial outing against Paul Craig at UFC Atlanta.


Bellato and Craig met in a preliminary light heavyweight clash at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Saturday. Bellato was trying to land ground-and-pound on Craig in the final seconds of the first round when he ate an illegal upkick that sent him crashing to the canvas. While “Trator” initially appeared to protest the illegal upkick, he started grappling with the referee moments later, seemingly out of confusion after being briefly unconscious. Bellato was deemed unable to continue, and the fight was declared a no contest due to an illegal blow.

Many fans and fighters alike later questioned the authenticity of Bellato’s reaction, accusing the Brazilian of bluffing. Bellato addressed the accusations, detailing what exactly transpired in those final seconds. Bellato claims that while he initially recognized the illegal kick and protested, he started losing consciousness immediately afterwards. Bellato also notes that this was the second time he made weight after the outing was postponed from May, and it made no sense to knowingly bail out in the first round. The 29-year-old also thinks he would have won the first stanza on the scorecards.

“God knows about all things! To everyone cheering for me, I'm in good health and will be back soon, thank you so much!” Bellato wrote on Instagram (via translte). “And 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 [weight twice] in less than 30 days, [two] trips in a row. Why would I fake something after all I been through and on top of that winning the first round? In the end ... I thank all the real ones for the positive messages. God is in charge.”

Craig also heard the rumors of Bellato faking the knockout, but he said wants to give the Brazilian the benefit of the doubt.

"It's my fault as much as it is his fault," Craig said at a post-fight media scrum. "We shouldn't be looking to persecute him if he's taking the knee. It was an illegal move."

Bellato now has a win, a loss, and a no contest in the UFC since making his debut in 2023. Meanwhile, Paul has registered only one win in his last seven outings.

READ HERE

Rodolfo Bellato Denies Faking Knockout Against Paul Craig at UFC Atlanta

Rodolfo Bellato has opened up on his controversial outing against Paul Craig at UFC Atlanta.

www.sherdog.com

Spoiler

@HHJ

@fujitsugroundnpound

@Neck&Neck
@Arqueto @BroRogan @Carl Drogo @lsa
@StonedLemur @Fight Professor @TerrorTimmy @Elvis. @ryun253 @don't ask @C0NCH3TO @MEAN357 @Cooliox @mudrubble @Bobby Boulders @Simple Southerner @svmr_db @Luthien @BoxerMaurits @Neck&Neck @SeattleFightFan @Ares Black @SalvadorAllende @Arm Barbarian @Blanqa Blanqua @Royce's Gi @Cooliox @Krixes @MXZT @wisdom blows @nonoob @Mohawk Banditó @JKS @SuperNerd @2004 account @Mammothman @Bushwhacker B @Siver! @TITS @Cowboy Kurt Angle @Jose Beehive @MEAN357 @NoBiasJustMMA @FlyingDeathKick @Doughie99 @13Seconds @CPH @Kenny Powerth @OldBoy91 @Kryptt @Paynebringer @HI SCOTT NEWMAN @Poirierfan @SenorFranko @MMALOPEZ @Hellowhosthat @Get To Da Choppa @BangBang @Substance Abuse @John makfresshi @Islam Imamate @Wong_Wongster_Irish @TCE @Jackonfire @helax @Iroh

Bellato is a fucking liar.

I hate acting sportsmen exaggerating or feigning injury to gain an advantage.

All you have to do is watch carefully the video angles and have a bit of experience watching MMA. OH....plus the kick wasn't even a direct hit it was more shoulder/neck.

Bellato should be cut for pretending to be KOd.

 

[Natural Order]

Dude told Aljo to hold his beer!

Prime Time Emmy award in Bellato’s future…

 

[Mask Of Winters]

So in between this and Maycee having a "seizure" coincidentally right before her walkout, apparently the "new normal" for UFC events is for fighters to insist they got too injured to continue even if nobody else actually saw it because it's "their truth" or something?

Yeah, no. I'm not putting up with that nonsense.

 

[Mask Of Winters]

Bellato is a fucking liar.

I hate acting sportsmen exaggerating or feigning injury to gain an advantage.

All you have to do is watch carefully the video angles and have a bit of experience watching MMA. OH....plus the kick wasn't even a direct hit it was more shoulder/neck.

Bellato should be cut for pretending to be KOd.

He and Maycee both. Got to nip this in the bud before it happens on every card.

 

[Mask Of Winters]

How can anyone here possibly think it's a delayed KO? I've never seen anyone take a shot, and with a completely sharp look in his eyes turn sideways to face the referee gesturing with his arms, then turn back and go limp mid air but still hold his head up so he doesn't bang the back of his head on the canvas. Then you add the wild waking back up part of it too. Sure, we've seen guys wake up and act a little crazy. But that happens extremely rarely. Here we have a situation where everything weird that potentially could happen happened.

Occam's razor motherfuckers. He faked it.

The "I better lie to everybody and say I wanted to keep fighting because I realize two days later how weak this makes me look" garbage only makes things worse IMO.

 

[Through The Looking Glass]

Everyone saying fake is retarded.

You can see in slow mo his body go limp and his head bouncing off the mat.

Its pretty amazing how stupid people are now days

 

[Only Here for Attachments]

Everyone saying fake is retarded.

You can see in slow mo his body go limp and his head bouncing off the mat.

Its pretty amazing how stupid people are now days

His head definitely does not bounce. He falls to his back and then carefully lays his head down.

 

[CasualBot]

Classy response. Respect to Craig

 

[method115]

It's crazy how every time a fighter takes an illegal knee, kick, etc we have some thread basically saying "but how hurt was he really?". I don't know what happened here but Craig should have just followed the rules.

 

[Oblivian]

After Burgos/Barboza, I can give someone the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Natural Order]

Not gonna say he was lying, but that is in the top five strangest knockouts I've ever seen. Right there with the time Alexander Emelianenko knocked his opponent out with a missed punch.

You talking about the grazing jab that buddy folded and acted clean out in? Even Aleks was chuckling and wondering wtf happened.