Overview
- Adriano Moraes secured a rear‑naked choke that was ruled a technical submission at 4:59 of round three on May 16, 2026, ending Phumi Nkuta’s fight in the final second.
- The California State Athletic Commission voted on Monday to deny Nkuta’s appeal after in‑person testimony and multiple instant replay reviews.
- CSAC executive director Andy Foster said officials watched the sequence repeatedly but remained unsure exactly when Nkuta lost consciousness and therefore could not meet the threshold to change the result.
- The decision preserves Nkuta’s first professional loss and ends his 11‑fight win streak, and Nkuta has said he will seek a rematch with Moraes.
- The ruling highlights limits of instant replay under CSAC procedure and keeps scrutiny on veteran referee Herb Dean while prompting calls for clearer replay rules and stronger referee accountability.