7 eyebrow-raising moments from a hectic weekend of MMA

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MMA fans will tell you that as much as they love the sport for its thrilling battles, a large part of its allure stems from the "anything can happen" atmosphere that pervades even the highest levels of competition.

That certainly proved true this past weekend, as 27 fights spread across two nights created the potential for all kinds of chaos. In no particular order, here are seven of the strangest happenings that went down in and around the cage.

The phantom tap

The UFC Fight Night 112 main event should have been a showcase for two of the UFC's lightweight up-and-comers.

First-time headliners Michael Chiesa and Kevin Lee were putting on an entertaining tilt when Lee got himself into position to attack Chiesa with a rear-naked choke. He looked close to finishing the fight when referee Mario Yamasaki decided Chiesa had submitted despite there being no clear sign of him tapping or losing consciousness.

Chiesa immediately protested the call, but the damage had already been done. Fans and media were left to debate whether Yamasaki had added to his list of officiating blunders.

Chandler gets no respect

Not only did Michael Chandler see his second Bellator lightweight title reign end in gruesome fashion - when his ankle took on the consistency of an inflatable wavy tube man in the middle of his fight with Brent Primus - but Chandler also had to endure what was essentially a schoolyard prank, when an overzealous New York State Athletic Commission official pulled a stool out from under him while doctors examined his injury.

Good grief.

Kish makes her mark

Fighters have enough to worry about when they step into the cage, so just imagine how Justine Kish must have felt when she also had to deal with an uncooperative gastrointestinal system.

The UFC strawweight bravely fended off a choke attempt from Felice Herrig, and all one had to do was look at the mat afterward to see how much strain the effort put on Kish:

'Tito face'

Following his Bellator NYC main-event win over Wanderlei Silva, "The American Gangster" Chael Sonnen got on the microphone to insult the city of New York and some of his peers.

One target was rival Tito Ortiz, who submitted Sonnen inside of a round when they fought in January. Sonnen spun a bit of revisionist history, claiming it was actually he who forced Ortiz to tap out, leaving the former UFC champion flabbergasted:

If there's any justice in the world, the "Tito face" will become the next big reactionary meme.

No go for Pico

The best-laid plans of promoters and prospects often go awry.

Twenty-year-old amateur wrestling phenom Aaron Pico had been touted by every fighter and coach under the sun as the next big thing, and Bellator officials granted him a spot on the main card of their NYC pay-per-view for his MMA debut opposite the unheralded Zach Freeman.

On Saturday, though, the fight gods chortled at Bellator's hubris, and young Pico was struck down and submitted by Freeman in just 24 seconds:

Many fighters have gone on to have spectacular careers after dropping their first bout, but this is one debut that Pico - and anyone who watched it - won't forget anytime soon.

Hendricks heavy again

Moving up to a division 15 pounds heavier should have made Johny Hendricks's weight-cutting woes a thing of the past, but they came back in full force Saturday as he embarrassingly tipped the scales at two pounds over the middleweight limit.

It was the fourth time Hendricks has failed to make weight. Adding injury to insult, he was later knocked out by Tim Boetsch in the UFC Fight Night 112 co-main event.

Keep in mind - this man was the UFC welterweight champion less than three years ago.

Mitrione, Fedor literally go blow for blow

Last, but not least, a moment from the co-main event of Bellator NYC that's certain to be replayed millions of times.

Double knockouts were already among the rarest occasions in MMA, but for one to happen in a major-league promotion during a fight featuring arguably the greatest heavyweight of all time was unfathomable.

Fedor Emelianenko made his long-awaited return to the United States to face Matt Mitrione, and the fight almost ended without a winner when both men scored knockdowns off simultaneous punches.

It's a shame that Mitrione managed to recover and finish Emelianenko off - not just because such a revered fighter lost, but because a double KO would have been the perfect representation of a weekend that may never be topped for its sheer shenanigans.