Former 247 double champion ethan goss plans appeal after first-round submission loss at PFL Pittsburgh

Ethan Goss walks out to Queens' "Fat Bottom Girls" Saturday night at UPMC Events Center in Moon Township. Goss lost in the first round by submission. Josh Rizzo/Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges

"If I would have went flat and laid there for three seconds it would have been understandable. But it was a second, a half second."
​Ethan Goss on his stoppage loss to Frederik Dupras.

MOON TWP - Ethan Goss laments the time he spent away from his 10-month-old daughter. He invested 12 weeks training for his Professional Fighters League featherweight fight with Frederik Dupras Saturday at UPMC Events Center. When everything ended with a contested stoppage in the first round, it was draining for Goss.

"I spent 12 weeks only getting to see my daughter 30 minutes a day in the morning because I was gone every evening and on the weekends," Goss said. "I was driving to Pittsburgh and training at other gyms to be 100 percent for this. It's one of those curve balls life throws at you."

Dupras didn't have any questions about the stoppage. The Canadian fighter was on top and wrenching a guillotine choke. He said he felt Goss go unconscious.  Referee Chip Snider agreed and stopped the fight at the 2 minute, 46 mark of the first round.

Goss believes the replay shows his head popping out of the hold before Snider stopped the fight

“I didn’t see the fight yet, but the way I was feeling, I was feeling like he was panicking,” Dupras said. “His arm was kind of trapped. I was feeling he had no way to tap. … At one point, I felt like he was getting numb. I feel he went out.”

Goss, a former two-division champion at locally-based 247 Fighting Championships, believes the replay shows otherwise. He immediately protested the stoppage in the cage. After watching the fight back several times, Goss said that he planned to file an appeal with the Pennsylvania State commission to try and overturn the result to a no contest.

"If you watch the fight, as he went over the top of my head, I immediately caught the arm and my hands were in," Goss said. "He was being coached by the ref to be active because he wasn't doing anything. He warned him like two or three times that he was going to stand us up. He tried to pull the choke underneath. You aren't going to choke someone out when you have both hands in. I wasn't pulling my hands out because I didn't want to slip and give him the choke."

Dupras, who improved to 2-1 in the PFL and 12-8 in his career, has seen all three of his PFL fights end by submission. He felt like Goss had gone out. Dupras lost his debut fight by rear-naked choke to Gabriel Braga, but has bounced back with a pair of guillotine wins over Nathan Kelly and Goss. 

Goss felt like Dupras' corner helped influence the stoppage.

"As soon as I started kick my legs, they were yelling that I was tapping and I wasn't tapping," Goss said. "Obviously, I was kicking and fighting and fighting. Then when I went flat for that split second to get him to regrip or reangle his choke, they yelled, 'He's out. He's out'. They persuaded the ref to stop the fight. If I would've went flat and laid there for three seconds it would have been understandable. But it was a split second, a half second."

Taking on a fighter who was fighting close to home didn’t phase Dupras at all.

“It’s my job,” Dupras said. “You give the name. I’ll come. I don’t care.”

Goss, who is 12-9 in his career, fell to 0-3 in fights in major promotions. Goss lost a split decision at Bellator 186 to Andrew Salas in 2017. After he fought his way back up the ladder, Goss earned an opportunity to fight in the PFL this past year.

Goss said he was disappointed with the stoppage, but didn't hold it against Snider.

"Everybody makes mistakes," Goss said. "I've known Chip for years. He's reffed 90 percent of my fights. He knows me and he knows what kind of fighter I am and what I'm willing to through in there."

Goss made his PFL debut last August and lost to Alexei Pergande in the first round when he was submitted in a D’arce Choke.

Dupras said his goal was to get Goss to the mat. He was successful with that when he took Goss down shortly after the opening bell.

“In my mind, they have to adjust to me,” Dupras said. “I’m the problem.”

Dupras pressed the issue after getting the takedown by working for a submission. Goss wasn’t able to return to his feet before Dupras wrapped up the submission at the 2 minute, 46 second mark of the first round.

Dupras felt like he executed perfectly.

“I think so,” Dupras said. “I didn’t get punched. Look at my face. I think I did a pretty good job.”

​Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected].