Bobby Moffett pulled off a sneaky submission to top Chas Skelly – even if he didn’t actually submit him.

Moffett (14-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) got a win over Skelly (17-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) when referee Tim Mills checked on Skelly during a D’Arce choke and ruled he was out – even though he immediately protested when the fight was stopped.

The featherweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 136 event at Pepsi Center in Denver. It aired on FS1 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of the main card on FS1.

Moffett landed some hard leg kicks, and when Skelly kicked low, Moffett caught it and landed some solid counter punches. Skelly shot for a takedown about 90 seconds in. Moffett defended it, but Skelly took his back and went after a rear-naked choke.

Skelly hopped on Moffett’s back and kept working for the choke, but Moffett defended. Still, Skelly dropped dozens of punches in with Moffett trying to shake him off his back. Moffett finally got free with 10 seconds left.

Moffett went back to working on Skelly’s lead leg in the second. A minute in, Skelly landed a stiff uppercut. But not long after, Moffett scooped Skelly up and slammed him to the canvas. Skelly reversed, but Moffett used the scramble to get a D’Arce choke on from the bottom.

Skelly had his right arm trapped and was grimacing. Mills reached in and said, “He’s out! He’s out!” and stopped the fight. But Skelly immediately popped out and began to protest, saying he wasn’t unconscious.

Mills utilized instant replay cageside, though the fight could not be restarted no matter what decision he made. He told a cageside official that he checked Skelly’s arm and it appeared he was out. Mills deliberated for several minutes, and consulted multiple commission officials.

Ultimately, Mills decided to stick with his original decision – though it was ruled a TKO for Moffett at the 2:43 mark of the middle frame.

Moffett won for the fourth straight time. Skelly lost for the second straight time in his return after an 18-month layoff.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 139 results include:

• Bobby Moffett def. Chas Skelly via TKO (D’Arce choke) – Round 2, 2:43
• Davi Ramos def. John Gunther via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:57
• Devonte Smith def. Julian Erosa via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:46
• Eric Shelton def. Joseph Morales via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 30-27)
• Mark De La Rosa def. Joby Sanchez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 139, check out the UFC Events section of the site.