The co-main event at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas took an unexpected turn due to an illegal eye poke incident that sparked controversy among fans and analysts after the fight concluded.

Waldo Cortes-Acosta faced off against Ante Delija and seemed on the verge of defeat due to an early TKO in the first round. However, after the fight was halted for a close inspection of the eye poke, it was reinstated leading to a stunning comeback by Cortes-Acosta, who delivered a powerful right hand that knocked Delija down, securing the KO victory.

Cortes-Acosta’s resilient performance saw him improve his record to 15-2, marking his sixth win in the last seven bouts, following a previous loss to Sergei Pavlovich in August.

Cortes-Acosta mentioned, “I felt the finger going inside my eye. The referee said to stop it. I decided to continue because I still felt like I could fight. My vision was down to 20%, but I pushed through anyway.”

The drama heightened with Cortes-Acosta’s intense remarks, indicating his readiness to clash with Tom Aspinall next, “I’m coming for you, Aspinall. Be ready!”

Delija, on the other hand, is a PFL tournament champion who recently made waves with a knockout debut. Still, he was unable to capitalize on the early advantage against Cortes-Acosta, as the bout was halted and ultimately turned in favor of his opponent following the unexpected course of events.