UFC Atlanta fans witnessed something out of the ordinary. With Paul Craig going one-on-one against Rodolfo Bellato, the bout seemed to go pretty normally. That was until the final seconds of the first round. With Bellato in a dominant position, Craig landed an illegal kick to the face.
Immediately, Rodolfo got knocked out. However, replays showed that while falling on the apron, Rodolfo was still conscious. This revelation caused fans to lash out at the fighter and accuse him of faking a KO. But breaking the silence on the matter, Bellato denied the faking allegations.
In a recent video uploaded on social media, Bellato gave his justification. He stated that while falling, his body was tingling. Bellato also explained how he thought that he had passed out from a triangle choke.
“When I took that kick, I tried to complain to [the ref] and my whole body started to tingle… Dude, I looked up at the ceiling and everything was spinning… The last thing I remember is that I was inside his guard. I thought I’d been caught in a triangle choke and passed out,” said Bellato.
Rodolfo Bellato insists he did not fake being knocked out at #UFCAtlanta
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 16, 2025
"When I took that kick, I tried to complain to [the ref] and my whole body started to tingle… Dude, I looked up at the ceiling and everything was spinning…
The last thing I remember is that I was… pic.twitter.com/8HzH34AofB
The UFC fighter also stated that faking a KO was pretty much uncharacteristic of him. However, despite all the justifications, the backlash has not stopped yet. Meanwhile, another vicious knockout kept the UFC realm stunned.
Malcolm Wellmaker Stuns With A Thunderous KO
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Wellmaker shocked the entire UFC fan base. Going up against Kris Moutinho, Wellmaker was supposed to get a tough matchup. But in reality, the bout only lasted for 2 minutes and 37 seconds. Cashing in on his strength, Wellmaker delivered a thundering right hook that left Moutinho out cold.
MALCOLM WELLMAKER SLEEPS KRIS MOUTINHO!!!!!! OH MY GODDDD #UFCAtlanta https://t.co/vtY7OnFdBO
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 15, 2025
This was quite unexpected as Moutinho recently fought Sean O’Malley back in UFC 264. Thus, putting on a superb performance, it now remains to be seen how things pan out in the future.
Also Read: “I Will Knockout”: Charles Oliveira Eyes Statement Win Against Ilia Topuria
