Rodolfo Bellato has strongly denied accusations that he faked being knocked out after being caught by an illegal upkick by Paul Craig at this past weekend’s UFC On ESPN 69 event in Atlanta, Georgia.
“God knows about all things!” Bellato wrote on Instagram (translated). “To everyone cheering for me, I’m in good health and will be back soon, thank you so much!
“And I saw some things on the internet, saying I was an actor there and stuff. The moment I was on the ground, I didn’t expect to get kicked in the face (illegally). It was a strong kick, when I looked at the judge to complain, my whole body began to tingle and my vision disappeared. After that i dont remember anything.
“Anyone who’s known me the longest knows I would NEVER do this. I’ve never run from war. I hit [weight twice] in less than 30 days, [two] trips in a row. Why would I fake something after all I been through and on top of that winning the first round? In the end … I thank all the real ones for the positive messages. God is in charge.”
Anthony Smith was one of those who was arguing strongly for Bellato having faked the KO, and it has to be said that the fact he appeared to be protesting the illegal blow to the referee on the way to the canvas before suddenly becoming unconscious did seem highly suspicious at the time.
That being said, there have been numerous delayed-reaction KO’s in MMA over the years that looked highly unusual. Shane Burgos suddenly staggering backwards and slumping to the canvas several seconds after being hit by a punch by Edson Barboza back in 2021 springs to mind for example.
After that knockout Burgos described a similar familiar feeling to Bellato, saying that his vision gradually began to fade over a few seconds, before his body eventually switched off.
So, while it’s hard to say for sure, it’s certainly possible that Bellato is telling the truth, and if so it’s unfortunate that he’s had to deal with a strong backlash for something that might have been out of his control.
