UFC wipes entire country from existence in flag snub

A UFC fighter was forced to walk out as a stateless nomad after the fight organisation refused to acknowledge her country’s flag.

Ramona Pascual features at UFC Vegas 49 in Las Vegas. Photo: Kayo via ESPN.

UFC fighter Ramona Pascual walked to the Octagon at UFC Vegas 49 on Sunday without any recognition of her country’s flag.

The Hong Kong fighter’s flag was strangely absent as she made history by becoming the first athlete from the Chinese territory to compete in the world’s biggest MMA promotion.

Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China and the UFC has previously chosen to ban the country’s flag, but is reported to have offered Hong Kong fighters a chance to walk out under the flag of the People’s Republic of China.

Ramona Pascual features at UFC Vegas 49 in Las Vegas. Photo: Kayo via ESPN.

The situation first played in 2020 when Hong Kong fighter Sasha Palatnikov won his UFC debut. The UFC broadcast showed no sign of his national flag and instead posted the Chinese flag next to his name when graphics appeared on the screen

UFC rules state that only flags of internationally recognised states can be shown.

Palatnikov even protested against China’s control by showing off his mouthguard, which featured the red and white colours of Hong Kong’s flag, to the camera after the victory.

“If you know, you know,” he said.

His next fight showed a blank square next to his name.

The same situation unfolded for Pascual on Sunday.

Rather than compete under the Chinese flag, she walked out with a generic grey emblem where her national flag was supposed to be.

Ramona Pascual features at UFC Vegas 49 in Las Vegas. Photo: Kayo via ESPN.

UFC promotions in the lead-up to the event, also showed Pascual competing under a neutral flag.

At the Olympics, Hong Kong athletes are represented by the Hong Kong flag, but the anthem of the People’s Republic of China will be played when any gold medals are won by Hong Kong athletes.

However, UFC announcer Bruce Buffer did acknowledge that she was fighting out of Hong Kong when he introduced her before her featherweight fight with Brazil’s Josiane Nunes.

It's 𝑭𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻 𝑫𝑨𝒀 🙌

📺 #UFCVegas49 kicks off at 4pmET on #ESPNPlus!

[ Prelims 4pmET | Main Card 7pmET ] pic.twitter.com/pM8QFUKCxa

— UFC (@ufc) February 26, 2022

She had stepped into the Octagon on just a week’s notice as a late injury replacement.

It was a dream come true for the 33-year-old who moved to Las Vegas to chase a career in MMA.

She was given a tough initiation at the hands of Nunes, who won the fight via a unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 30-26).

The event was headlined by a brutal elbow knockout from Arman Tsarukyan.

The commentary team knew the end was near when this elbow landed 😳 #UFCVegas49pic.twitter.com/3ATFeBQAoa

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 27, 2022

The first round ground strike opened up a sickening gash across opponent Joel Alvarez’s face. The fight was eventually stopped in the second round.

In the main event, Dagestani Russian Islam Makhachev pressed his claim for a title shot in the lightweight division with a first round stoppage victory against Bobby Green.

Originally published as UFC wipes entire country from existence in flag snub