Keith Peterson is used to taking some heat as a veteran referee of many high-profile UFC bouts, but he nearly caught an actual live round on Saturday.
Serving as the third man in the cage for a bout between featherweights James Lyons and Beau Samaniego at Cage Fury Fighting Championships 97 in Philadelphia, Peterson had to get in close to observe the ending sequence, which saw Lyons clamp on a tight rear-naked choke. A visibly fading Samaniego didn’t tap, instead fighting the submission until he started to pass out. As he did so, his left hand shot out and clipped Peterson right across the top of his head.