Controversial decision eliminates Jarrett Vornbrock from MMA World Championships

Jarrett Vornbrock's run at the 2016 IMMAF World Championships of Amateur MMA in Las Vegas has ended in controversial fashion, after the Yellowknife mixed martial artist was defeated yesterday in a close decision.

Vornbrock faced off against U.K. fighter Josh Neale in his quarterfinal matchup after winning his first round contest by technical knockout. Though both fighters compete in the 125-pound flyweight class, Vornbrock's opponent was significantly taller, forcing him to resort to quick movement to avoid his longer arms.

"He was basically coming forward kind of wild, throwing loopy shots," said Vornbrock. "I was just keeping distance, circling around him. I was landing my jab... catching him with overhand rights."

After punctuating the first round with a last-second combination, Vornbrock retreated to his corner, where his coaches told him he'd won the round. The second was more of the same, he said, with one key difference — his opponent landed a takedown in the last ten seconds of the round and was able to pin Vornbrock's legs to the canvas.

However, Vornbrock said that his corner "told me everything was good, it was a good round, and they'd thought I'd won it as well."

Beginning to tire due to his high pace, Vornbrock slowed in the third and final round, resulting in him being clipped over the ear by Neale. The punch stumbled him, but he was able to quickly return to his feet, controlling the end of the final round with a takedown and punches on the ground.

"My team thought that I won all three rounds," he said. "And a lot of the people watching in the audience thought I won."

However, the judges didn't see it the same way, awarding a unanimous decision to Neale and eliminating Vornbrock from the tournament.

'This isn't going to stop me'

"It's disappointing, you know?" Vornbrock said following his exit.

"Being at this level, and wanting to really bring home that gold, it kind of sucked. But in the end, you just have to put a smile on your face and accept it. You win some, you lose some, you get some bad calls, you just gotta keep going on from there."

The loss is Vornbrock's first in mixed martial arts. Prior to the tournament, he had teased the idea of going professional, but those plans may be put on hold for now, he said.

"I think it's maybe a little bit too early still," he said. "I kind of have the opportunity to come back (to the world championships) next year, and keep learning from there. So that's probably what I'll end up doing. This isn't going to stop me."

That doesn't mean he's not keeping his focus on the big picture, though — the UFC fan expo is in Las Vegas at the same time as the tournament, and Vornbrock said he plans to spend the weekend taking in the sights before returning to his gym in Grande Prairie and continuing his training.

Specifically, he's hoping to run into one fighter in particular: Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson, the current UFC champion in Vornbrock's weight class and one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world.

And what would he say if he ran into the champ?

"I'd let him know that I'm coming for him," he said, with a laugh.