There are some situations where there is too much movement for a ref to dive between the fighters. The ref can’t always step in, so the "wait for the ref" rule doesn’t work. Hector might have drilled that counter a thousand times in training – it might have been nearly second nature to throw it. But fact remains, it was after the bell.

Hector Lombard was DQ’d for drilling C.B. Dollaway with a wicked left to the jaw. Not only was the blow struck well after the horn, but you can also hear referee Mark Smith instructing the fighters to break it up. Smith then went and watched the video replay to confirm his call. Good on Nevada for having instant replay, and good on Smith for making the correct call. We’ve seen way too much leniency from fighters who seem increasingly eager to take advantage of every inch of the rulebook the referees are willing to cede. Lombard was affronted by the DQ, but let’s get real: Sometimes you’re the one guy who gets pulled over for speeding when the cops let a bunch of other people who are speeding go, but that doesn’t mean you weren’t speeding. So let Smith’s ruling serve as a reminder that breaking the pushing the envelope can still have consequences.

...

I’m also sympathetic to Lombard’s explanation, though it does have its limits. For instance, he tells us he wasn’t trying to fight outside the rules, but it’s a fight and when you hit him he’s coming back at you in the heat of the moment. Fine, but where does that stop, exactly? By that logic, does Dollaway get to counter Lombard’s counter, even if it’s well past the end of the round? Do they brawl until the ref pulls them apart at the end of each round? Because if not, then Lombard sounds like he’s arguing that only he deserves to get the last word.

I think a NC would have been acceptable

I would say a DQ should be reserved for intentionally breaking the rules, but that leaves a lot to perception. I don’t think Lombard was trying to get a finish after the bell, but it was an illegal shot, and whether he was aware that it would be is questionable, I suppose in this instance the ref felt Lombard could have avoided the illegal strikes.

Posted by Mediocre Mac on Mar 3, 2018 | 9:32 PM

Not quite.

No contest implies fight ends inconclusively with no winner.
Disqualification implies fight ends due to a foul and the guilty party loses.

Posted by OnyxShadow on Mar 4, 2018 | 2:21 PM

https://www.mmafighting.com/2018/3/3/17076738/ufc-222-results-hector-lombard-disqualified-against-c-b-dollaway

http://mmajunkie.com/2018/03/trading-shots-justice-served-hector-lombard-disqualified-cb-dollaway-ufc-222#slideIdslide-2