Hubert Desmond Cole is a mixed martial artist from Jamaica. Her found himself in a unique situation during a Rough Fight League tournament in St. Andrew, Jamaica. Cole was disqualified from his bout and ended up competing against two men instead of one.
The events that unfolded were unprecedented, and Cole’s future in the sport was thrown into doubt.
Cole was competing in a Rough Fight League tournament when he found himself in trouble. The presiding referee attempted to break up a clinch where Cole had landed multiple low blows on his opponent. Inadvertently, Cole landed a blow on the official, which the referee perceived as an attack.
The referee lost his temper and immediately went on the attack, striking Cole multiple times and breaking his nose. The MMA pro will be held back from training for the next four weeks, and he is considering legal action against the referee.
Cole spoke to Jamaica Observer about the incident, stating, “What I did was punch down the Rasta in the ring. All of a sudden, the referee turned down on me. I want someone to pay the price.”
Andrew Mullings, CEO of the Rough Fight League, issued a statement regarding the incident, highlighting Cole’s rule-breaking actions that ultimately led to the event.
Mullings stated, “One of the rules is that there should be no strike, whatsoever, to the groin of your opponent. The referee went to separate them, and it appeared as if Hubert Cole struck the fighter, and while striking the fighter, he struck the referee. I think the referee lost self-control and did more than his fair share of separating the fighters and defending himself.”
The disqualification loss kept Cole out of the win column once again, and he has yet to record a victory in his combat sports career. While the L he took against the referee won’t count against his official record, it remains to be seen if Cole will be allowed to compete in future events.
Since 2014, Benny A. King has been fully immersed in the world of combat sports. Starting with a blog about Greco Roman wrestling, Benny’s passion for combat sports has led him to explore various disciplines.