There was little question that the kick was illegal, but in the immediate aftermath it appeared that Bellato looked to referee Kevin MacDonald to see if he was going to call the foul – then hit the canvas and appeared to be knocked out, only to jolt back to consciousness, at which point he lightly tried to wrestle MacDonald.

"I feel really bad for Paul Craig," Smith said.

Bellato was criticized after the fight for perhaps exaggerating the extent of his injury; former MMA fighter Justin Lesko called it “embarrassing” and questioned whether it was the “worst flop in UFC...