Australian featherweight Kaan Ofli (14-4-1) delivered what appeared to be a statement win over Ricardo Ramos (17-8) at UFC Fight Night Rio, but the victory has been marred in controversy because of the contentious officiating during the bout.
Ramos caught an Ofli kick early in the fight and transitioned straight into a kneebar.
As the Aussie was fighting off the submission attempt, he used his right hand to grab the fence twice, but was not penalised by referee Marc Goddard.
Just moments after the illegal cage-grab, Ofli took Ramos' back and submitted him with a rear-naked choke.
Kaan Ofli as he was grabbing the cage to fend off that kneebar #UFCRio pic.twitter.com/RD1CNJH2RY
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) October 11, 2025
After the fight, the local crowd rained down boos, but Ofli was having none of it.
"Hey, shut up, shut up I'm talking," said Ofli when addressing the parochial Brazilian crowd in his post-fight interview.
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The 32-year-old has now secured his first UFC win after back-to-back losses to kickstart his career in the promotion.
He is a veteran of the 'Ultimate Fighter' show and will look to build on Sunday's performance under the guidance of the Absolute MMA & Conditioning coaches in Melbourne.