Strikeforce Rules Director Explains the Eye Poke Ruling

Filed under: MMA Media Watch, Strikeforce

Friday night's Strikeforce fight between Marius Zaromskis and Waachiim Spiritwolf was over as soon as it started, with Zaromskis accidentally poking Spiritwolf in the eye just six seconds into the first round, causing an injury that prevented Spiritwolf from continuing.

The fight was officially declared a no contest, but there was confusion about the proper procedures for the referee and ringside doctor to end the bout, with the announcers on Showtime saying the ref improperly gave Spiritwolf five minutes to recover.

In an interview with MMAFighting.com, Strikeforce rules director Cory Schafer said the ref actually did a textbook-perfect job of applying the rules, and he discussed some of the misconceptions that fans and members of the media have about the rules of MMA. The full interview is below.

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