"And the Oscar goes to..." - MMA world accuses Rodolfo Bellato of faking upkick KO at UFC Atlanta

The MMA community reacted to the controversial ending to Paul Craig vs. Rodolfo Bellato. The pair competed in the preliminary card headlining bout of UFC Atlanta. While the fight was expected to be an interesting stylistic matchup given Craig's proven submission ability from the bottom, it ended unceremoniously.

Bellato managed to secure a takedown in Round 1 and controlled Craig on the ground. In the closing seconds, Craig landed an illegal upkick that seemingly knocked out Bellato, who fell backwards.

However, the replay showed Bellato complaining to the referee about the illegal strike, simultaneously, as he was getting knocked out. This cast a shadow of doubt on whether he was seriously hurt by the upkick.

Check out the sequence below:

The upkick from Craig was ruled as an accidental blow, and the fight resulted in a no-contest. Fighters and MMA fans took to social media to share their thoughts on the situation.

Former interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje wrote:

"Biggest flop in MMA history."

The official X handle of Renato Moicano's Show Me The Money podcast, shared:

“And the Oscar goes to… Rodolfo Bellato”

Check out more reactions below:

Reactions to Paul Craig vs. Rodolfo Bellato

While most fans and MMA fighters were critical of Bellato, a few offered a different perspective. One fan suggested that Bellato getting knocked out after complaining could be a delayed reaction, citing the example of Edson Barboza's knockout win over Shane Burgos at UFC 262 in May 2021.

After getting hit with a knockout blow, Burgos showed no reaction for a few seconds, ultimately stumbling backwards and falling to the ground in a delayed reaction.

Check out the sequence below:

The UFC Atlanta bout marked an important outing for Craig, who returned to light heavyweight after an unsuccessful stint at middleweight, losing three of his last four fights. Meanwhile, Bellato was hoping to get back in the win column after two bout cancellations and a draw against Jimmy Crute at UFC 312.