Australian middleweight contender Jacob Malkoun was disqualified for illegal strikes against Cody Brundage after he landed a forearm to the back of his rival’s head.
Malkoun was in control against his rival early on, securing a takedown and unleashing some vicious strikes in the opening four minutes of their bout.
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However, the Aussie fell foul of the rules as he looked to finish Brundage, prompting referee Marc Smith to pause the fight.
“That was direct to the back of the head,” UFC commentator Dominick Cruz said.
“It’s crazy because if you’re Malkoun, you’ve got to be aware of these things.
“Look at the Petr Yan fight against (Aljamain) Sterling, you gave up an entire fight from a knee.
“You’ve got to be aware of the rules in the octagon, that’s why they are there and that’s what makes a professional.”
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Smith then stepped out of the octagon to review the footage as doctors tended to Brundage.
In total, the American was given three minutes to recover.
But when Smith asked Brundage if he could continue fighting, he insisted he could not.
With Brundage no longer able to keep going, Smith had to decide whether to declare the bout a no contest or a Brundage victory via Malkoun being disqualified.
Smith ultimately elected for the latter as Brundage was subjected to a vocal chorus of boos and jeers inside the UFC Apex once the decision was read out.
The result meant Malkoun dropped to a 7-3 record while Brundage avoided a fourth-straight loss and improved to 9-5.
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