MMA fighter Dante Schiro lost consciousness but shocked viewers as his eyes remained open after he suffered a submission defeat to opponent Luca Poclit.
At Bellator 285, the fighter found himself on the receiving end of a stronghold to his neck. The move ended with him tasting defeat and having to receive medical attention.
Though hearts were in their mouths, the American recovered and managed to shake hands with Poclit.
READ MORE: Ebanie Bridges says ‘obsessed’ next opponent got boob job and is ‘trying to be like her’
The move came when the two were on the canvas and Poclit somehow managed to trap Schiro’s arm against his own neck.
Referee Brian Miner eventually stepped in and gestured to Poclit to release after his opponent went out cold.
But some felt that the official was a bit delayed in stopping the bout – with the sight of Schiro left lying on his back with his eyes still open being a particular shocking moment.
One wrote: “Referee failure of the year contender. He was choked for 14 seconds after being unconscious. Why are you celebrating this?” Another said: “I always say that in this sport not everyone is a referee since he stretched his leg and was already asleep, it was approximately 10 seconds later when he realized it.”
Someone wrote: “Dude was already out at 51 seconds on the clock. This ref is horrible and any good commentator would recognize that he was already out like a light.” A fourth said: “You know it’s a sick submission when you can’t tell where someone’s body begins and the other ends.”
One tweeted: “Referee waiting for a tap that couldn’t come as the guy was clearly out cold! This is not the sport for me, I cant sit relaxed and watch it. Poclit was also flat out and breathing heavily after his gargantuan effort at Bellator 258.”
Indeed, some showed concern for Schiro after noticing his leg went limp – feeling that the ref took too long to intervene.
But the most important thing is that the fighter recovered inside the octagon. He managed to get up and was perched on a stool – and then he went and shook hands with Poclit.
READ NEXT: