California Athletic Commission denies Phumi Nkuta’s appeal over controversial loss to Adriano Moraes
The California State Athletic Commission has denied Phumi Nkuta's appeal of his May loss to Adriano Moraes, keeping the controversial finish on the books as an official defeat for the first time in Nkuta's professional record.
The bout in question took place at an MVP MMA card, where referee Herb Dean awarded the victory to Moraes, who secured a rear naked choke that rendered Nkuta unconscious. However, replay footage appeared to show Moraes maintaining the choke past the final bell—a critical detail that could have changed the outcome. Nkuta argued that he did not lose consciousness until after the bell had sounded, which would have invalidated the submission. According to the scorecards on the night, Nkuta was ahead and would have earned a decision victory if the fight had gone the distance.
When appearing before the commission on Monday, Nkuta presented his case that the finish occurred outside the legal fighting window. CSAC executive director Andy Foster, however, emphasized during the hearing that the commission had reviewed the footage extensively—Foster stated he had watched it approximately 80 times—and could not identify with certainty the precise moment Nkuta lost consciousness. Foster argued that overturning a fight decision requires clear and convincing evidence, a threshold the commission determined had not been met.
The commission voted to deny the appeal, upholding Moraes' victory and leaving Nkuta's first professional loss intact despite the controversial circumstances surrounding the finish.
