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.

At the very end of the first round of their fight, Craig was on the ground with Bellato on top when “Bearjew” threw an illegal upkick that connected. It was a curious scene as Bellato appeared to appeal to referee Kevin MacDonald while he was falling backward,

Rodolfo Bellato’s theatrical reaction to Paul Craig’s illegal upkick leads to a controversial No Contest at UFC Atlanta.