UFC fighter Rodolfo Bellato has strongly denied allegations that he intentionally faked an injury during his recent bout.
The controversy arose during his fight against Paul Craig at UFC Atlanta this past Saturday. Towards the conclusion of the opening round, with Craig on the canvas beneath him, Bellato was struck by an illegal upkick from Craig, nicknamed `Bearjew`. The moments that followed were peculiar: Bellato seemed to gesture towards referee Kevin MacDonald as he began falling back, eventually appearing to lose consciousness.
This strange sequence of events fueled widespread speculation online that Bellato had faked the severity of the injury to secure a disqualification victory. However, Bellato, known as `Trator`, has firmly refuted these claims in his initial public statements.
In his statement, Bellato expressed gratitude to his supporters, assuring them of his health and imminent return. Addressing the online accusations directly, he stated, “God knows the truth about everything! I saw comments online saying I was acting… When I was on the ground, I didn`t anticipate getting kicked illegally in the face. It was a powerful blow. As I looked at the referee to signal the foul, my entire body started tingling and my vision went black. After that, I have no memory.”
He passionately defended his character, adding, “Anyone who knows me well knows I would NEVER do something like that. I`ve never backed down from a fight. I cut weight twice and traveled twice in less than a month. Why would I fake anything after putting in all that effort, especially when I was winning the first round?” He concluded by thanking those who sent positive messages, adding, “God is in charge.”
The fight was ultimately declared a No-Contest. Following the bout, Paul Craig, who completed the final fight on his current UFC contract, stated his desire for the promotion to reschedule the contest later this year.
