Urijah Faber’s win over Francisco Rivera upheld by NSAC despite eye poke

Happy days for Urijah Faber while Francisco Rivera will be frustrated by the NSAC's decision to uphold the result of the fighters' UFC 181 bout.

That December fight ended with Faber (32-7) getting the tap from Rivera (10-4, 1NC) via bulldog choke but not before connecting with an accidental, but illegal, eye poke. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vj9xzcHNmog Rivera appealed the decision which was ruled over during tonight's monthly Nevada State Athletic Commission meeting but the NSAC claimed that they could not overturn the result. According to the rules, the result can only be changed if the referee misinterpreted a rule which is not the case in this instance. Rather, referee Mario Yamasaki claims that he simply missed the foul which doesn't give the commission grounds to overturn. "I would phrase it that we're powerless to change this decision," commissioner Skip Avansino said. The NSAC claimed to be seeking reform in the instant replay arena whereby the referee can refer to the footage even if the fight continues after the foul, which is what occurred in this case.