Flyweight fighters Daniel da Silva and Edgar Chairez faced each other in a preliminary card match at Noche UFC on Saturday night. Unfortunately, the bout ended in disappointment for both competitors due to a controversial stoppage by the referee.
https://t.co/ZlLrNUIp87
Da Silva’s Takedown and Chairez’s Guillotine Attempt
Da Silva managed to take Chairez down early in the fight and delivered some solid ground-and-pound. Chairez scrambled back to his feet, only to be driven to the fence by his opponent. During the scramble, Chairez attempted a guillotine choke, causing da Silva to abandon his single-leg takedown attempt. Referee Chris Tognoni observed the action closely, but made a questionable call.
Controversial Stoppage and No Contest Ruling
As the commentators expressed their concerns about a potential error by the referee, Tognoni halted the contest, seemingly believing that da Silva had lost consciousness due to the choke. Da Silva immediately protested the stoppage, and after Tognoni and the cageside replay official reviewed the video, the fight was declared a no contest.
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, who was commentating the fight, openly criticized Tognoni for his mistake. Cruz highlighted Tognoni’s history of poor stoppages and used the incident as an example of why referees should have personal experience in grappling.
The premature end to the fight denied both da Silva and Chairez the chance to earn their first UFC victory. Da Silva had suffered four consecutive stoppage losses since his promotional debut in 2021, while Chairez began his UFC career with a decision loss against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 290 in July.