"Up-kicked that man into schizophrenia!!!" - Fans react as Paul Craig's illegal upkick causes spine chilling moment at UFC Atlanta

Paul Craig’s fight against Rodolfo Bellato in the prelims of UFC Atlanta was shaping into a good chess match before a sudden, illegal up-kick bizarrely stopped the fight.

With seconds left in the first round, Bellato had Craig grounded and was working from top position. As he looked to advance, Craig fired a heel kick into Bellato’s face while he was still down. The referee stepped in immediately and stopped the fight.

However, it was Bellato’s reaction that perplexed many fans. Medical staff entered the cage, and the fight was waved off right before the horn. The result was ruled a No Contest due to an accidental foul.

Several fans blasted Bellato for acting, claiming he exaggerated the damage to escape a tiring round. Netizens took to X and wrote:

"Holy sh*t Paul Craig just up-kicked that man into schizophrenia!!!"

"Rodolfo Bellato faked a brutal KO just to try and get a cheap win over Paul Craig. What a complete embarrassment!!! The UFC needs to cut him immediately."

"Rodolfo Bellato just faked that sh*t, so obviously it's insane. Paul Craig up kick there! #UFCAtlanta"

"That is the craziest thing I have ever seen. Paul Craig KOed Bellato with an upkick, the referee paused the action, claiming Bellato was a downed opponent, and Bellato was so out of sorts that when he came back, he was afraid of the referee. WHAT THE FU*K?!?"

"Bellato should get an Oscar for that."

Check out some of the fan reactions below:

Fans react to Rodolfo Bellato and Paul Craig fighting to a No Contest. [Screenshots courtesy: Fan accounts on X]

It's worth noting that from a technical perspective, the ruling was correct. According to the rules, a grounded opponent cannot be struck with a kick to the head. With this result, Paul Craig's rough stretch continues, as he's only triumphed in one fight in his last seven octagon outings.