UFC Vegas 115 this past weekend was an eventful night for the promotion with eight finishes. But for Dione Barbosa, it was a night where criticism piled on despite her securing a win over her Brazilian compatriot Melissa Gatto. The reason? The women’s UFC flyweight bout saw Barbosa launch a soccer kick at a seemingly downed Gatto’s chin. While many called it illegal, the commission officials who examined the replays for around five minutes couldn’t come to a conclusion. Barbosa, for her part, tried to steer herself away from the allegations with an explanation.
“I didn’t feel contact with her face at all,” Barbosa told reporters at the post-fight presser. “I feel when I’m in there. I tried to hold her head so I don’t kick her head. It was no intention at all. In the moment, the referee stopped, and I just needed to wait. I’m just there to do my job. I don’t try to be unfair, dirty. I’m a martial artist. I don’t think about doing dirty things to win the fight.”
After the soccer kick, the referee, Chris Tognoni, immediately intervened to pause the action. Notably, as per the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, kicking or kneeing a grounded opponent in the head remains a foul that can incur disqualification.
Given Gatto’s movement during that sequence, the officials didn’t disqualify ‘The Witch’. These instances are quite rare. Back in 2010, a TUF bout between Seth Baczynski and Brad Tavares saw a similar incident. But unlike the UFC Vegas 115 decision, Baczynski got disqualified for landing an illegal soccer kick to the head while Tavares was grounded.
Dione Barbosa defends her #UFCVegas115 fight vs. Melissa Gatto continuing after a soccer kick that led to a point deduction.
“I don’t think she was completely out. … I land a lot to her chest.” pic.twitter.com/p25Jhy9fmR
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) April 4, 2026
Intentional or not, Barbosa seemingly got lucky not to be penalized severely. After a point deduction, the fight continued. And at the end of three rounds, ‘The Witch’ secured the victory via majority decision. That said, while the incident may lead to any fighter being more cautious about such strikes moving forward, Barbosa had a different viewpoint.
Dione Barbosa explains why she may not give up on the ‘soccer kick’ just yet
As Dione Barbosa’s soccer kick moment caught everyone’s attention, it drew intense scrutiny. Many in the community, including fellow flyweight Casey O’Neil, noted that the strike was illegal. Not only that, some even called for stricter punishment.
But Barbosa escaped with a controversial win. However, when asked if a close call like that, which could have added another blemish to her record, would prompt her to be more cautious in the future, ‘The Witch’ disagreed. To that end, the 33-year-old went on to explain her approach and mindset as she steps into any fight inside the octagon.
“Well, it is a risk, but every single time I step into the octagon is a risk,” Barbosa said at the presser. “Three seconds something can change, one punch can land, and completely change the fight. So, my life, my style is a risk. I’m a grappler, and today I’m like, I will throw punches here. I want to finish this fight. I want $100,000.
“I take risk all the the time. It’s part of my life. This is what I love to do. So, I will take a risk again. For sure, I will recalculate and try to do better. I have in my corner a specialist in soccer kicks, Renato Canuto. Soon, he will be in the UFC, too. So, I need to train a little bit better with him, for sure.”
The ultimate motivation for Barbosa to still pursue such risks appeared to be the UFC bonus reward. Since UFC 324 earlier this year, the leading MMA promotion has especially revised its bonus system. In the process, they upgraded their Performance of the Night (POTN) and Fight of the Night (FOTN) reward from $50,000 to $100,000.
On top of that, the UFC has also introduced an additional $25,000 bonus to those fighters who get a finish but do not qualify for POTN or FOTN. The goal was simple: to encourage more exciting action in MMA. And it seems this incentive has led to fighters like Dione Barbosa feeling less apprehensive about a disqualification when attempting moves like soccer kicks.
