Okay... I just watched this video...
When the knee comes back down, I'd say it definitely strikes the back of Emmett's head, but I agree with you that this doesn't seem to have been intended as a strike. But does that matter if the knee going up in the first place
was definitely meant as a strike? I don't know.
As for whether the knee going up actually made contact or not, it seems that--at this angle--Stephens' glove obscures our view at the critical moment. So let's consider the movement of Emmett's head. His head doesn't pop up, as one might expect, from the knee strike, and although some have explained this as due to Stephen's hand holding Emmett's head down at the critical moment, this doesn't seem to be the case to me. However, I find it hard to explain Emmett's head moving to the right, as it does, unless Stephen's knee clipped the left side of his head going up, perhaps on the left temple. Hopefully there are other angles for comparison if an appeal gets filed.
What do you think about Emmett's head movement to the right?
Another factor, according to an article linked below:
The illegal knee wasn’t thrown accidentally, or in the heat of the moment. Stephens spoke about his actions, saying it was clearly his intention to land the knee, but it seems like he has misunderstood the new rules that are in place.
He thought it was legal, and brought up a conversation he had with the referee about the rules briefing.
“Dan Miragliotta came in the back (before the fight). He said this is the new unified rules,” Stephens said. “He said that if two hands are down, you can lift one hand up to knee. If he’s on his knees, and one hand is up, it’s okay to throw a knee.”
“I’m not a dirty fighter, I never have been my whole life. I saw an opportunity, and I was looking for it.”
There was likely a disconnect during that conversation Stephens mentioned, and the FOX crew didn’t mention or correct him on these. The new rule discussing one hand vs two hands only applies if the opponent is on his feet with his hand(s) touching the canvas. If the opponent is on his knees, like Emmett was, he is automatically a “grounded” fighter and he cannot be kicked or kneed in the head regardless of his hand position.
So while it seems like there was no malice in there, Stephens’ knee was both illegal and intentionally thrown. It wasn’t a poor decision made on the heat of the moment while trying to finish the fight. He saw an opening and he planned that strike because he apparently thought it wasn’t against the rules.
https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2018/2/...tephens-misunderstood-rules-faber-blasts-cruz
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I'm not really invested in the appeal outcome, to be honest... I'm just trying to generate some interest, suspense, and drama for our thread--and competition--here.