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Back‑to‑Back Eye‑Poke Chaos Forces UFC Toward Fast‑Tracked Rule Talks

Officials will convene this week to evaluate penalties, replay use and glove design after two heavyweight bouts were disrupted by eye pokes.

Overview

  • At UFC Vegas 110, Waldo Cortes-Acosta was eye poked by Ante Delija, the bout was restarted after replay, and Cortes-Acosta scored a knockout seconds later at 3:59 of Round 1.
  • Reporters noted confusion over protocol during the stoppage, with non‑authorized personnel entering the cage before the restart and debate over whether a restart was permissible.
  • Cortes-Acosta said his vision dropped to roughly 20% yet he chose to continue, then publicly called out champion Tom Aspinall and criticized him for stopping after the UFC 321 foul.
  • Delija had argued days earlier that eye pokes deserve severe punishment, a stance that contrasted with his own foul against Cortes-Acosta in Las Vegas.
  • Referee Herb Dean says a meeting is scheduled to address eye‑poke rules, including potential automatic point deductions, a rethink of intentional versus unintentional fouls, and glove redesign, while the UFC plans to rebook Aspinall–Gane once the champion is medically cleared.