UFC fighter is carried out of arena amid claims of fakery after female veteran becomes latest to cop kick disqualification (VIDEO)

Luana Pinheiro was accused of acting like a footballer after she stayed down and was filmed being carried away in a disqualification win at UFC Vegas 25 – and Randa Markos faces an uncertain future over the illegal kick involved.

In the moments leading up to the end of the fight, Markos received an accidental eye poke that warranted a checkup from the cageside doctor.

Following a short break, she indicated she was able to fight on and went straight for Pinheiro, who was making her debut in the UFC.

Markos threw punches until judo black belt Pinheiro tossed her to the octagon canvas.

Once on the ground, she tried to kick Pinheiro away and ended up landing her flush with a second blow while Pinheiro was still down.

Markos' opponent stumbled backward and fell onto her back slowly.

Appearing woozy as the officials attended to her, Pinheiro asked if she had lost the bout.

Referee Mark Smith called the disqualification because he believed Markos' kick was intentional.

Had it been unintentional, the bout would have been dubbed a no-contest as it had taken place in the first two rounds of a three-round fight. 

The official time of Pinheiro's victory was recorded as 4:16 in the first round.

Succumbing to her fifth defeat in her last six shows, Markos was upset at the result and may not be long for the UFC. 

And while Pinheiro was victorious in her maiden outing in the championship, extending her winning streak to seven victories across all competitions, she has come under criticism for her reaction to the kick.

"Nip this b*llshit in the bud before it turns into football (soccer)," one fan demanded, adding of Pinheiro writhing on the floor after the kick: "Nobody wants this feigning cr*p."

There were inevitable comparisons to Aljamain Sterling, the Jamaican-American bantamweight champion who snatched the belt from Petr Yan in similar fashion when the Russian kneed him to the head at UFC 259. 

Involved in a war of words ever since, Yan has suggested Sterling should win an Oscar for his performance and has blasted him for holding up the division by being sidelined until October with a neck injury. 

"Aljo [Sterling] needs to teach her a lesson in acting," said one cynic.

"She was fighting so well," added another.

"She was completely schooling Randa and unlike Sterling, she was clearly on her way to a victory. She didn't need to win this way."

Punters also blasted Markos for a lack of maturity despite her experience.

"You all need to cut, Markos," one demanded.

"She's a veteran and she let her emotions dictate the rest of her career with one kick."