UFC star ‘robbed’ of KO win after brutal body shot is incorrectly ruled a low blow by Dominick Cruz’s least favorite referee

Melissa Martinez’s victory over Alice Ardelean at UFC Fight Night has been somewhat overshadowed by a highly controversial refereeing decision.

Last night’s contest was the strawweight’s second outing with MMA’s flagship promotion following her debut against Elise Reed at UFC 279, which she lost via a unanimous decision.

Nevertheless, the 27-year-old has shown plenty of potential in her eight MMA wins, cultivating her formidable reputation as an elite kickboxer.

And yet, despite securing a unanimous decision victory over Alice Ardelean, the Mexican was ultimately denied a far more emphatic end to the bout.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLCDominick Cruz slams referee Keith PetersonAfter seemingly looking set to claim a comprehensive decision on points, Melissa Martinez landed a sneaky body kick to drop her opponent in the third round.

But then, instead of allowing Martinez to go in for the finish, referee Keith Peterson called the shot low, gifting Alice Ardelean plenty of time to recover.

Sure enough, the combatant utilized her window of respite to great effect, but ultimately succumbed to the full force of her highly skilled opponent.

The Las Vegas commentary team all agreed that Martinez had been robbed of a TKO, with two-time UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz being quickest to pounce on the refereeing mistake.

Cruz has, of course, expressed his frustration with Peterson in the past, but it appears that most people were in agreement with the 39-year-old this time around.

😬 Controversy at #UFCVegas99 in strawweight action! 🇲🇽 Melissa Martinez landed a brutal body shot in round 3 that visibly hurt Alice Ardelean, but the referee ruled it a low blow and gave Ardelean time to recover. The commentary team disagreed, saying Martinez may have been… pic.twitter.com/H56nb3uE4p

— Women’s MMA Rankings (@WMMARankings) October 19, 2024 View Tweet

Fans blast referee Keith Peterson in Melissa Martinez vs Alice Ardelean clashIn the wake of Martinez’s first UFC win, MMA fans have taken to social media, largely in a bid to voice their thoughts on Peterson’s refereeing display.

On X, one fan said: “Perfectly executed kick, poor ruling by ref. Should be overturned to a TKO without a doubt!”

Perfectly executed kick, poor ruling by ref. Should be overturned to a TKO without a doubt!

— Tomas Roos (@northern_mma) October 20, 2024 View Tweet

Another fan added: “Obvious legal kick.”

Meanwhile, another fan has opined that Ardelean was in the wrong, suggesting that she faked the overall impact from her opponent’s kick.

They said: “Point deduction for pretending should be added to rule book.”