Former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad has accused Ian Machado Garry of intentionally using eye pokes to gain an advantage during their fight at UFC Qatar, a bout Muhammad lost by unanimous decision.

The fight featured several stoppages due to eye pokes, with no point deductions issued to Garry, leading Muhammad to publicly question the enforcement of rules surrounding such fouls and to call for changes in how they are penalised.

“What did we see in the fight? Obviously, we didn’t see much. Got poked in the eye three times. What are you going to do, right?” Muhammad said on his YouTube channel, according to MMA Fighting. “I said Ian was very smart at figuring out ways to win fights and understands how to win.”

“He understood poking an eye was going to win the fight, especially when you do it early. Especially when you don’t get points taken away from you. The rules need to be changed. There needs to be repercussions. Otherwise, guys are going to keep doing it. What’s the point?” Muhammad added.

Despite the criticism, Muhammad also credited Garry’s in-cage skills, saying, “Ian was pretty smart. He’s very good with his distance management”, while also acknowledging that he needed to increase his output earlier in the three-round fight.

The result marked a setback for Muhammad as he looks to re-establish himself in the welterweight title picture, while the controversy has again brought attention to the issue of eye pokes and their impact on fight outcomes in the UFC — particularly given the ongoing situation regarding heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, who is reportedly still suffering effects from eye pokes received in his no-contest bout with Ciryl Gane several weeks ago.