In his mind, Gian Villante was doing what anyone would in his place. If you’re momentarily blinded and someone asks if you can see, you say no.
“It’s just a human reaction,” he said.
Except in this case, it led directly to the Long Island native losing his UFC debut.
Ovince St. Preux accidentally poked Villante in the eye 33 seconds into the third round Saturday night at UFC 159 at Prudential Center in Newark. After a moment of confusion, referee Kevin Mulhall asked Villante if he could see. Villante said no, which caused Mulhall to wave off the fight and send it to the judges cards.
“I was confused,” Villante said. “I thought he was calling for the doctor.”
The fight was scored a rare majority technical decision (30-28, 30-29, 29-29) for St. Preux. It was clear that St. Preux had won the first round and Villante the second. And Villante felt he had momentum in the third against a tired opponent.
“I think I started getting into it a little in the second round,” he said.
Mulhall was just following procedure. MMA referee and rules guru Rob Hinds told The Post that “if a fighter says he can’t see or can’t breathe, the ref stops the bout.” Hinds, though, said communication exhibited by Mulhall could have been better.
Villante said even if he knew the rule, he still would have said he couldn’t see. He was just being honest. But that blindness didn’t last long at all.
“Give me a second,” Villante said. … “Once I started blinking, it was fine.”
St. Preux said he didn’t feel like he poked Villante, though the replays do show a clear poke.
“Stuff happens, but I don’t think they should’ve stopped the fight,” St. Preux said. “I would’ve won the third round because I felt great and I was coming on stronger but still it’s unfortunate it had to end like that.”
Villante said UFC matchmaker Joe Silva told him it was an unfortunate turn of events and that the company knows he’s a better fighter than he showed. That wasn’t much solace for Villante, though. The former Hofstra All-American football player said he’d be interested in exacting revenge against St. Preux, but isn’t sure what it would really do for him.
“It was the worst way to have your debut,” Villante said. … “I’m totally disgusted right now.”
UFC president Dana White says he doesn’t agree with the rule and that the doctor should have come in to check on Villante.
“[He said] ‘I can’t see, because I just got poked in the f—— eye — give me a minute,'” White said. “
