‘Welcome to the big leagues’ UFC fighter outraged by treatment after brutal knockout

UFC hopeful Kiefer Crosbie wasn't happy with his treatment following his controversial TKO loss at UFC Shanghai.

Crosbie was nearly knocked out by an illegal knee in the opening round, and despite a two-point deduction for his opponent, he wasn't afforded any time to recover. As a result, the Irish scrapper was TKO'd by a barrage of strikes, leading to his third loss in the promotion.

'BDK' blasted referee Marc Goddard for his decision-making on Instagram, calling it a "ridiculous call" to let him continue fighting without five minutes' rest.

Kiefer Crosbie calls out UFC for mistreatment after UFC Shanghai result

Crosbie went one further on August 28, alleging he was mistreated by the UFC backstage after the controversial result.

"No doctor checked on me after the fight," Crosbie wrote on Instagram. "No brain scan organized. No concussion test or questions asked how I was doing. No medication given even though I have major concussion and whiplash. Just stitched up and chucked in a taxi and good luck."

"Anyone with a f------ braincell can see in this clip I'm distorted from the knee with blood in my eyes, and clearly shouldn't be making decisions that quick," He wrote. "Makes me sick honestly. Welcome to the big leagues."

At the very least, Crosbie should have been assessed for a concussion. Given the nature of the finish, he was at risk of second-impact syndrome, which can be fatal if untreated. Sadly, this isn't out of character for the UFC.

Similar stories shared by UFC stars

Budding bantamweight star Payton Talbott revealed he was booted from the T-Mobile Arena after his statement performance at UFC 303.

"No [I didn't watch the main event] they kick you out!" Payton exclaimed. "They're like 'Do you have a ticket?' And I was like, 'I just fought,' and they're like, 'No exceptions, man.'... Yeah, they wouldn't let me back in.

"...They got rid of it [fighter VIP rooms] with COVID. ... As soon as you're done with your media, you're out. No [I didn't get to shower]... No I didn't even know there were showers there... I went back to the Airbnb, streamed the rest of the fights and then we went and saw Cascade [a DJ]."

A similar incident happened with UFC Shanghai headliner Johnny Walker when he fought at UFC 279. His comically large frame was spotted walking down the Vegas strip in full UFC gear after winning his fight.

"So UFC just came and kicked us out," his coach wrote on X. "No tickets for us and not allowed stay back stage to watch. Pulled out back door, kicked out, no even shoes on."

So @ufc just came and kicked us out. No tickets for us and not allowed stay back stage to watch. Pulled out back door, kicked out, no even shoes on 😅 pic.twitter.com/av78OBETZM
— Coach JK (@John_Kavanagh) September 11, 2022

Regardless of arena policy, the UFC bears responsibility for the fighter's well-being. A lack of care and due diligence in a sport like MMA can have fatal consequences.

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