California commission denies Nkuta appeal, upholding controversial Moraes choke finish

The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has denied Phumi Nkuta’s appeal over his controversial defeat to Adriano Moraes at the MVP MMA card in May, leaving the South African’s first professional loss on his record. The commission voted against overturning the result after determining there was not enough definitive proof to reverse the decision.

The fight ended when Moraes secured a rear naked choke that rendered Nkuta unconscious, with referee Herb Dean calling the finish in the Brazilian’s favour. However, replays indicated that Moraes may have maintained the submission hold past the final bell, raising the question of whether Nkuta lost consciousness before or after the round ended. Had the bout gone to the scorecards, Nkuta appeared to be ahead on points.

Nkuta described the moment in the immediate aftermath of the fight. “I heard the 10-second clapper, I’m fighting it with everything I’ve got. I hear the bell and then I wake up,” he said. “You look at the instant replay, and he kind of pulled a Rousimar Palhares on me.”

During Tuesday’s hearing, CSAC executive director Andy Foster acknowledged the difficulty of the call but maintained that the bar for overturning a result must be high. “I bet I’ve watched it 80 times now,” Foster said. “I’m still unsure when he went unconscious. When we’re not sure about something, it needs to be clear and convincing evidence if this commission is going to flip a fight.”

Foster noted that multiple officials had already reviewed the footage via instant replay on the night of the event and reached the same conclusion as Dean, further complicating any grounds for reversal.

With the appeal denied, Moraes — a former ONE Championship heavyweight champion — retains the victory, and Nkuta’s professional record carries its first defeat.