The Calgary Combative Sports Commission has cleared Len Koivisto, the referee who oversaw Sheila Bird vs. Kim Couture, of wrongdoing after an "in-depth investigation" following a July 8 bout in which Couture was choked unconscious.
"No further action or investigations into the officiating of Mr. Koivisto will be required by the Commission," stated a release issued Thursday.
Video that circulated after the bout, which took place at an event titled "AX Combat 1" held at the Calgary Telus Convention Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, showed Bird lock in the rarely seen choke that put Couture to sleep just under the two-minute mark.
It took the Koivisto several seconds to realize Couture was unconscious – despite both her legs falling limp to the mat – and stop the fight.
The CCSC, though, defended Koivisto as an experienced referee who has overseen 400 bouts without incident.
"He has always taken his ring official's duties very seriously and conducts himself with a great deal of professionalism.
"Mixed martial arts is the fastest moving combative sport regulated, with upwards of 30 fouls and over 130 technical components involved. The pace of the match requires a referee to be quick with both his mind and feet while assessing the numerous aspects of this sport.
"While making every effort not to affect the contest, the official is required to be in close enough proximity to observe the action but not so close as to inhibit the fast moving pace that can take a fight from a standing/striking battle to a ground and pound/submission hold in split seconds. The official is assessing both fighters the whole time the contest is engaged."
The clip prompted immediate outrage in the MMA community. Couture, though, told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) that the situation was being blown out of proportion.
"I think people like a story – they like to sensationalize everything and make a bigger deal out of it than it was," she said. "I got up on my own two feet. My equilibrium was fine; I was smiling and waving at the crowd."
Meanwhile, the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board has yet to decide whether to take any disciplinary action on Couture for fighting while serving an indefinite medical suspension. Amid the controversy over the stoppage, it was revealed that Couture had not been cleared by the NJSACB after she failed to provide the proper paperwork to lift a suspension issued by the commission following a bout this past October in Atlantic City, N.J.
Couture said she underwent surgery this past February to repair damage from her first professional fight in which she sustained a broken jaw. After being made aware of of the suspension on the day of the July 8 fight, her doctor faxed documentation of the surgery to the New Jersey and Calgary commissions.
NJSACB legal counsel Nick Lembo confirmed that he received the paperwork at 6 p.m. on the night of the event, and he forwarded it to the physician that suspended Couture this past October for review. But there was no documentation related to the medical concerns for which she was suspended.
The NJSACB commissioner said the strikes that Couture sustained during her bout in New Jersey were serious, and following her decision loss, an NJSACB-approved physician suspended her indefinitely. To be cleared, she was required to get a CT scan of her facial bones and needed a green light from an ENT doctor.
"Very late in the game, and the wrong paperwork," Lembo said. "So, simply put, Calgary and Kim were notified that we were not lifting the suspension."
The CCSC has stated that its protocols were followed when it medically cleared Couture to fight.
The fighter's case is still under review by NJSACB Commissioner Aaron Davis.
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