Junior Tafa was none-too-happy with the referee’s decision to stop his UFC 305 featured prelim bout with heavyweight prospect Valter Walker.
Tafa appeared to have the advantage on the feet, landing a nice fight hand on Walker early on. That prompted ‘The Clean Monster’ to get his grappling game started, working Tafa against the fence and eventually taking him down to the mat. During an exchange in the closing seconds of the opening round, Walker managed to grab ahold of Tafa’s leg and cinch in a heel hook.
Tafa rolled in defense while simultaneously letting out a very audible scream. That prompted the referee to step in and call for the stoppage despite Tafa never verbally or physically tapping out.
As the commentators attempted to make sense of what happened, Tafa launched his mouthguard across the Octagon and got in Walker’s face. As security stepped in, Tafa landed a slap on Walker.
Official Result: Valter Walker def. Junior Tafa via technical submission (heel hook) at 4:56 of Round 1.
