A new form of TKO: Referee Marc Goddard's decision in PFL fight sparks outrage in MMA world

In an unprecedented case in the world of combat sports, MMA star, Cedric Doumbe was left bemused after his fight against Baysangur "Baki" Chamsoudinov was stopped due to a splinter in his toe. Doumbe, a former world kickboxing champion, competed in his sixth cage fight against Chamsoudinov. However, it ended in a technical TKO, sparking a shrill stir among the fight fans.

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Referee Marc Goddard's controversial call

Following an engaging two rounds of the fight, one of the acclaimed referees out there, Marc Goddard, made a controversial call to stop the encounter. The stoppage came after Doumbe complained about a foot injury and asked for a time-out. The welterweight was initially told to continue fighting but the inactivity and him pointing towards his foot again, made the referee take the ultimate call. Baki was given the technical TKO win. Following that the sold-out Accor Arena broke out into loud "boos."

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Cedric Doumbe's post-fight comments

Following the bizarre culmination of the fight, Doumbe vented out on the referee.

"I’m disgusted. I didn’t want this. Make some noise for Baki. This isn’t his fault. It’s the ref’s fault.
“I feel like there is a piece of glass or wood in my foot. I told the ref. I told Baki. Baki said so get it out. And then the ref stopped it.
“I never asked to stop the fight.”

Premier League cult hero Djibril Cisse and fellow former Liverpool star Mamadou Sakho were among those watching on in shock. Doumbe quickly called for a rematch, adding: “I’m not sure if Baki wants it. I have no idea what just happened. I’m very sad.

“Of course, I want to do this again.”

Baki said: “Doumbe is a legend of kickboxing. It was an honour to fight. This is not how I want to win.”