Video: Oblivious referee ignores brutal slam knockout

You have one job — protect the fighter.

Texas-based regional MMA promotion Fury Fighting Championship (Fury FC) returned for its first event of 2026 yesterday (Sun., Jan. 18, 2026), and while the card delivered plenty of highlight-reel knockouts, one fight stole the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

Contender Series Season 9 veteran Brandon Holmes returned to action following his failed bid for a UFC contract, taking on undefeated prospect Preston LaGrange. After roughly three minutes of grappling — with Holmes working inside LaGrange’s guard — LaGrange suddenly locked up a tight triangle choke.

Holmes responded by channeling his inner Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (or Elijah Smith) hoisting LaGrange into the air and slamming him hard onto the canvas.

The slam didn’t put LaGrange out cold in dramatic fashion, but he was clearly unconscious. Shockingly, referee Danielle Guevara failed to intervene, allowing Holmes to land approximately nine unanswered ground-and-pound strikes on a fighter who was no longer intelligently defending himself.

Fury FC’s broadcast team was stunned. UFC fighter Alex Moreno could be heard on commentary shouting, “Knockout from a triangle slam! C’mon ref! C’mon ref! What are you doing? The slam knocked him out!”

Watch the bizarre sequence (and delayed stoppage) below:

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time a Texas referee working a Fury FC event has been at the center of controversy.

Back in 2023, referee Frank Collazo missed Gianni Vazquez going unconscious and allowed Edgar Chairez to continue cranking an armbar for nearly 20 additional seconds after the fight should have been stopped.

Despite the alarming officiating, Holmes officially got back into the win column following his loss to Cam Rowston on last year’s Contender Series. He now hopes to compete once or twice more in 2026 in hopes of earning another shot at a UFC contract.

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