UFC on Versus 4 Results: Charles Oliveira Submits Nik Lentz After Illegal Knee

by Tim Burke on Jun 26, 2011 6:57 PM EDT in UFC Event

Charles Oliveira won the fight, but the ending was not without controversy. After an amazing first round, Oliveira came out in the second and landed a blatantly illegal knee to the downed Nik Lentz which the referee missed, and carried on with his assault until he was able to take Lentz's back and sink in a rear naked choke for the submission victory.

The first round of this fight is one of the best of the year so far. Lentz put Oliveira on his back immediately, but Oliveira used a very active guard and upkicks to frustrate Lentz. After a minute or so they were back on the feet, where Lentz landed single right hands and Oliveira landed a variety of punches, kicks, and knees with the thai clinch. Oliveira then landed a huge right hand that dropped Lentz at the exact same time Lentz landed a shot, but Nik survived the knockdown.

Oliveira switched it up to a guillotine that looked pretty deep, but Lentz survived again and ended up getting his own guillotine that was deep as well. Oliveira got loose and both fighters popped up to their feet, and Oliveira landed another huge punch and followed it up with a hip toss. Lentz survived the round though.

The second opened up with a very big flying knee from Oliveira, but Lentz quickly took him down. Oliveira threw up a triangle attempt, then switched to an unsuccessful leg lock. Oliveira ended up on top in a scramble, which led to the illegal knee and the unfortunate finish. Joe Rogan stated after the fight that the commission would be reviewing the fight due to the illegal knee. Will the result be changed? Only time will tell.

The 21-year-old Oliveira was brought into the UFC as a hyped prospect and delivered in his first two fights, with submission wins over Darren Elkins and Efrain Escudero. He was pushed into a fight with current UFC # 1 lightweight contender Jim Miller at UFC 124, but he was submitted by a heel hook. Lentz had gone undefeated thus far in the UFC, going 5-0-1. He had a lot of trouble in his last fight with Waylon Lowe at UFC Fight Night 24 before eventually submitting him with a guillotine in the third round.

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Legalize It!

@scb0212
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by Scott C. Broussard on Jun 26, 2011 6:58 PM EDT reply actions 6 recs

Yep

Might actually get more finishes and less decisions this way.

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by KJ Gould on Jun 26, 2011 7:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Until its legal you shouldnt celebrate this.

Its unfair under the current rules and he might have defended better if he knew it was coming. Unfair.

by Bombadilillo on Jun 26, 2011 7:56 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

He had a great showing apart form that.

And he got screwed by a shitty rule. Nothing to celebrate in that.

He shouldn’t have broken it, but he shouldn’t have been restricted by it in the first place.

@scb0212
The Machiavellian.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett

by Scott C. Broussard on Jun 26, 2011 8:04 PM EDT up reply actions

But it is, so its a moot point.

If a fighter is training under the rules not to defend there. They should reasonably expect to be safe. I agree it should change. But the rules need to be followed as they are now.

It just sucks that this guy lost due to an illegal blow (who knows what would have happened) and the first comment is happy about it.

by Bombadilillo on Jun 26, 2011 8:09 PM EDT up reply actions

I would agree with you

But it happened to Nick frigging Lentz. So HOORAY!!!

by RoB_ex on Jun 26, 2011 9:23 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 2 recs

The first comment is lamenting the existence of a shit rule.

I don’t think that Do Bronx should keep the win. Turn it to a NC. What I’m saying (it’s not a complicated point) is that the rule shouldn’t exist in the first place.

Both fighters got screwed here. Lentz has a loss he doesn’t deserve, and CO gets a great showing hamstrung by a crap rule instituted by paranoid commissions.

@scb0212
The Machiavellian.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett

by Scott C. Broussard on Jun 26, 2011 10:17 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

If they just made it somewhat Pride-like: no knees to the head on someone in 4-point ground instead of 3, it would be fine. I’m still not sold on foot stomps or soccer kicks to the head (even though they are awesome, they just seem too dangerous) but seeing fighters (wrestlers mostly) take a knee or 3-point stance just to avoid the knee to the head appears to be using the ‘rules’ to avoid a knee or hopefully get a point deduction out of it at the least…not saying Lentz did that during this fight though, just an observation of how fighters sometimes use the rule when they are at a disadvantage.

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by tigerlee on Jun 27, 2011 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions

If you say 3-pt is OK, but not 4-pt, then people will take a 4-pt stance to avoid the knee.

I’m also not sold on soccer kicks or stomps.

@scb0212
The Machiavellian.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett

by Scott C. Broussard on Jun 27, 2011 6:31 PM EDT up reply actions

front flopping?

but then they will be easy to take down, back mount, or punch in the head. either way, going to a 4-pt is not intelligent defense just to avoid a knee.

I think Pride used the 4-point in the case that when a fighter is really hurt and goes to the belly, you shouldn’t soccer kick them in the head and it exposed the back of the head, so no stomps. Basically if you’re on your back you’re defending with all four limbs, whereas in the 4-pt you’re using all four limbs for support, not using them for offense & offering yourself up to other maneuvers

Who's the only one here who knows illegal ninja moves from the government?
No holds barred, no time for move fakin,
Gots to get the loot so I can bring home the bacon - Charlie Brown

by tigerlee on Jun 27, 2011 6:45 PM EDT up reply actions

This is an awesome lack of reading comprehension. Good show.

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by James Brady on Jun 27, 2011 9:11 AM EDT up reply actions

But it was such an awesome knee!

So was Anderson Silva’s upkick of Okami, look at that power. They both got robbed!

by ValleyMoney on Jun 27, 2011 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions

that knee directly set up the finish

hopefully will be changed to a NC.

horrible reffing.

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by bobthewriter on Jun 26, 2011 7:01 PM EDT reply actions

i'm for what is now considered the illegal knee

but rules are rules, and that illegal knee couldn’t have been more blatant.
don’t know how the ref missed it – even the dudes working the concession stands saw it.

ideas? got a head full/one-man penny dreadful

by oxala75 on Jun 26, 2011 7:02 PM EDT reply actions

Robbery of the year

Because we were robbed of a possible FOTY candidate or at the very least a delicious finish.

As it stands, we’re left with a first round on the level of Diaz/Daley and a ref of astronomically stupid proportions. Did I really hear him say he decided not to stop time because Lentz was going to get finished?

Just so mad that we were robbed of an incredible fight by one idiot. Getting fed up with this officiating shit.

by Gitaroo_Dude on Jun 26, 2011 7:09 PM EDT reply actions

This crap is blowing my mind.

After the fight with Andre Winner I never would even suspect that Nik Lentz and FOTY candidate would be used in 1 sentence without major sarcasm.

by Roa on Jun 26, 2011 8:38 PM EDT up reply actions

Shame for both guys

Shame for Lentz due to his broken face, and for Oliveira due to the fact that he was going to finish the fight regardless.

by Hawk52 on Jun 26, 2011 7:12 PM EDT reply actions

Oliveira was speaking the truth when he said that he’d make this fight exciting. Sucks that this fight ended the way that it did though. It looks like Oliveira was on his way to winning this fight, but you never know what could happen.

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by chrisbboy82 on Jun 26, 2011 7:22 PM EDT reply actions

How does this work with betting? If you bet on da Bronx do you still get your money?

by xDieseLx on Jun 26, 2011 7:26 PM EDT reply actions

You do because its still considered a win but if it ends up being overturned to a dq it will be taken from you’re betting account most likely.

by tremblay6 on Jun 26, 2011 7:41 PM EDT up reply actions

its a shame it ended this way. but what a great performance by charles oliviera. hes a future star

by Scott Pilgrim on Jun 26, 2011 7:28 PM EDT reply actions

God dang I hate this

Nobody wants to see a fight end like this.

Yeah, you could say Charles probably would have ended up winning, but Lentz showed in the first round and in the fight with Lowe that it’s never over til it’s over…he could have pulled some magic out.

That illegal knee clearly led to the eventual finish…it was absolutely fight altering.

Anything less than a no-contest is crazy. I would be totally comfortable with a DQ.

Georges St-Pierre vs. Anderson Silva

by Chris Groves on Jun 26, 2011 7:29 PM EDT reply actions

Why would you be totally comfortable with a DQ?

Why do no contests exist, then? Intention has to matter, even if we can’t know for sure, we can make an educated guess.

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by James Brady on Jun 27, 2011 9:14 AM EDT up reply actions

As long as it doesn't stay as a win for Oliveira

Justice has been served.

Georges St-Pierre vs. Anderson Silva

by Chris Groves on Jun 28, 2011 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't think

The ref missed the knee, he said he was going to stop it then he said something else I couldn’t hear. Either way great great one sided fight by Charles he was tooling on Lentz from start to finish.

by daved3 on Jun 26, 2011 7:31 PM EDT reply actions

He was just trying to BS his way out of screwing up

A knee like that lands you gotta call time out unless a terrorist attack(or we found out what happened with Nate) happens.

by HaterSlayer on Jun 26, 2011 7:32 PM EDT up reply actions

One sided fight!?

Charles was ahead but Lentz was landing big shots on the feet, and was slightly better on the ground.

by schm1583 on Jun 26, 2011 8:02 PM EDT up reply actions

I have literally no idea what fight you were watching. Oliveira was lighting Lentz up standing, and every second on the ground he was controlling with constant sweep and submission attempts.

Not to mention Lentz was gassing out from the submission attempts and the beating. Lentz might have survived to a decision, but it was a clear two rounds for Oliveira at the point of the illegal knee.

by Hawk52 on Jun 26, 2011 8:06 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs

Yea. No.

Nik had a takedown-ish, and got some pitter patter inbetween getting punched in the face and tied in knots by Charles. This sucks,because Charles was dominating and was well on his way to easily beating my least favorite fighter in the UFC. Lentz avoided a certain loss. Now I have to watch him fight again.

by Tag01 on Jun 27, 2011 12:10 AM EDT up reply actions