The UFC debut of Ben Sosoli against disgraced ex-NFL player Greg Hardy has been deemed a "no contest" after Hardy used an asthma puffer during the fight.
The Sydney-born Sosoli, whose fight nickname is the Combat Wombat, initially lost the heavyweight bout by unanimous decision, but the result was changed because of Hardy's use of an inhaler between the second and third rounds.
The former defensive end for the NFL's Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys was seen on the telecast asking officials if he could use his inhaler before doing so.
He and his team maintain they were told by "the commission" they could use it because it was for a medical reason.
"I'm still a new guy in this sport … I asked permission, I got permission and I did what I was told," Hardy told media after the fight.
UFC president Dana White told ESPN Hardy was adamant "somebody from the commission" told him he could use the inhaler because he had cleared it with the US Anti-Doping Agency.
But White said that only allowed Hardy to use it outside competition, not during a fight.
"[Hardy] didn't know … but you can't use it in the corner," White said.
"You can use it in your everyday life, during training or whatever it might be, [but] you cannot use it in the corner. You can drink water in the corner — that's it."
White said Hardy was "flipping out" after the result.
"[He was] very upset, wondering what was going to happen to him," he said.
"He gets disqualified in a fight that he was winning easily. He didn't need the inhaler, he shouldn't have used the inhaler. Huge mistake on his part."
Hardy left the NFL in disgrace after multiple run-ins with the law, including domestic violence charges and an arrest for cocaine possession, and made the switch to mixed martial arts (MMA) in 2016.
Hardy entered the fight with a 5-1 MMA record, while Sosoli has a 7-2 professional win-loss record but is yet to register anything in the win or loss columns in the UFC after his controversial debut.
