Last month, MMA fans saw one of the biggest refereeing blunders to have gone down inside a cage when official Frank Collazo failed to stop a fight despite one of the fighters having already been choked out. The fight between Gianni Vazquez and Edgar Chairez at Fury FC 76 drew major criticism from analysts and fans owing to Collazo’s incompetency. UFC President Dana White, too, had earlier shared his views on the official, comparing him to controversial referee Steve Mazzagatti in the process.

Opening up about his experience at the unfortunate end of this entire scenario, Gianni Vazquez, 28, talked to MMA Fighting and shared his count of the events that took place on March 24. While Vazquez described the horrific feeling that he experienced at that moment; his opponent, Chairez too gave his perspective on what went on in his mind during the submission.

Gianni Vazquez talks about the appalling officiating at Fury FC 76

Conversing with MMA Fighting, the 8-5 fighter revealed for the first time what happened exactly inside the cage on the unfortunate day.

Vazquez claimed that after passing out from the initial triangle choke, he opened his eyes to find himself trapped in an armbar. “I start tapping with my feet and I pass out again,” he revealed, stating it was the pain from the armbar that led him to wake up from the first submission.

Once in the hospital, when he finally got to take a look at the clip, Vazquez revealed the initial shock that he felt at the ref. “So I’m up there watching the video and I’m like,‘Man, I passed out in his face twice. I don’t know how he didn’t notice’.” 

In spite of the horrific call from the official, the 28-year-old Mexican also showed gratefulness for having survived that ordeal. For him, the fact that his opponent decided to transition from a triangle to an armbar is what helped him live to tell the tale.

“I might be dead right now if he didn’t switch it. If he wouldn’t switch it, I might be dead or I might be like a vegetable. It might be like brain damage. But thank God I’m here, I’m still alive,” Vazquez expressed.

Edgar Chairez shares his perspective on the fight

The story would be probably incomplete without adding in Chairez’s point of view, who many branded a dirty fighter following his win. For the 27-year-old, it all boiled down to his aim that night, i.e. to win the fight. Despite now finding himself in an unwanted controversy, Chairez was glad that he was able to get his hands raised, at least.

Speaking about the final sequence, the 10-4 fighter explained the confusion he felt at the moment. As he was choking out Vazquez, the 27-year-old remembered looking at Frank Collazo, the official, and telling him that Vazquez was out. Along with the confusion, the fact that he wanted to seal his win pushed him to transition to an armbar, eventually.

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Maybe the consequences of the controversy also left a bad taste in him, as Chairez didn’t back away from showing his disappointment at Collazo. Hoping that he faces some sort of punishment for his bad refereeing, the MMA fighter stated, “In my opinion, he should have been fired from his job.”

Ultimately, many would agree that this was a scenario that could have been easily avoided with a better choice of official. The fact that Gianni Vazquez has to go through an unwanted injury all because of an official, could maybe push athletic commissions into hiring and developing competent referees in the future.

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