Brazilian Commission Issues Statement After Cortney Casey Disputes Head Kick Ruling From UFC Fight Night 100

The Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA) has issued a statement following controversy in the Cortney Casey vs. Claudia Gadelha bout at UFC Fight Night 100. The controversy came after Gadelha initially appeared to have delivered an illegal head kick during the bout, but was not penalized because the referee determined that the kick did not land.

Casey, who lost the bout by decision, told MMAjunkie that the kick did land and that the CABMMA’s statement — which stated no points were deducted because the kick didn’t land and Casey took time to recovery — made it seem like she was seeking an excuse for the loss. You can see highlights from CABMMA COO Cristiano Sampaio as well as Casey’s comments below:

Casey on claims that the video doesn’t show her getting kicked: “I don’t need to watch them. I was there – I got kicked in the head. At the end of the day, that’s what happened…It hit right on my hairline. Her shin hit me square on the hairline.”

Sampaio on the commission’s determination that Casey wasn’t kicked: “Not only the referee had that impression, but also the table and other assigned officials working at the event shared the same thoughts when seeing it from different angles.”

Sampaio on Gadelha not being penalized: “The doctor which evaluated the athlete in the cage affirmed to the referee that she was fine, no sign of any possible trauma due to the kick, which in his view made him believe the kick did not land. In that sense, we believe Cortney took that time to rest and benefit herself…If (Casey had not taken that time), a point would have been taken off. For a situation such as this one, it could even have been understood by the referee as she was giving up on the fight. But, to avoid any possible controversy, he decided to just not deduct the point and restart the fight. But if the kick had clearly hit (not mattering the intensity), it would have been two points deducted. And if it had hit and she had not come back, Gadelha would be disqualified.”

Casey on the commission’s reaction: “I’m just there to do my job, to put on a show for all the fans, and that’s all I want to do. I don’t want people to look at me any differently. I don’t want my character to be judged. I just want to people to look at it from both sides. I know what happened. She knows what happened. If she didn’t kick me in the head, she wouldn’t have stopped and put her hands right on me and said she was sorry. She wouldn’t have started the round saying she was sorry. She wouldn’t have after the fight said she was sorry, and then in the green room say she was sorry for kicking me in the head. Then when big brother and all the cool guys are there, she’s going to say she didn’t kick me in the head or thought it didn’t land? She knows she landed it.”

Casey on the loss: “I don’t make excuses for anything. That’s what hurts the most, people thinking I was looking for a way out. I don’t understand why people are getting mad at me.”

Sampaio’s statement on reaction to the commission’s ruling: “Due to the repercussion on the incident between Courtney and Gadelha on UFC Bader vs Minotouro, held in São Paulo/SP on November 19th, 2016, The Brazilian Athletic Commission (CABMMA) would like to clearly state that it does not, in its role as a regulator, judge the character of any competitor, enroll on false public accusations with the intent to jeopardize their history or future in the sport, and most certainly does not analyze any other circumstance which is not directly related to the regulation of the event, the license athletes and other professionals involved in their responsibility. The major concern with the incident was to apply the correct judgement call, interpreted by the referee, Commission and medical staff, using their knowledge and commission´s guidelines, and additional resources, which in this case, replays shown in different angles, on the exact moment of the incident.

“Finally, if the interpretation of the decision upon the conclusion of the fight has been interpreted in a different and distorted way beyond what was officially meant to, which was to determine the correct call, it should be condemned and discarded. CABMMA stands by its decision related to this case, but repels and fully disagrees with any negativity towards Courtney Casey´s character as a professional women athlete of MMA.”