Strikeforce Houston: KJ Noons Knocks Out Jorge Gurgel

By Michael David Smith - Lead Blogger

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KJ Noons knocked out Jorge Gurgel in the second round of Saturday night's Strikeforce Houston card with the help of two illegal strikes, one a left hook at the end of the first round and one an illegal knee on the ground as the referee was starting to stop the fight in the second. The referee awarded the fight to Noons by knockout even though it easily could have gone to Gurgel by disqualification.

At the end of the first round, Noons floored Gurgel with a huge left hook an instant after the bell rang, and Gurgel was wobbly as he tried to get back to his corner. The punch clearly landed after the round had ended, and the referee easily could have disqualified Noons, or at least taken a point away. Instead, the referee did nothing.

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When the second round started, Gurgel was still reeling from the effects of that late punch, and Noons went on the attack, knocking Gurgel down again with two more punches. As the referee began to step in and protect Gurgel from further damage, Noons landed one more knee while Gurgel was on the ground. The fight easily could have been ruled a disqualification for that illegal knee, but instead it was ruled a victory for Noons.

Stunningly, Showtime announcer Gus Johnson didn't even ask Noons about the illegal strikes in the post-fight interview, instead simply asking perfunctory questions about Noons earning another win, and about his future plans. Gurgel got a raw deal in the fight, and the fans got a raw deal in Johnson's failure to ask Noons about the illegal strikes that helped him win.


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