UFC fighter Matt Brown criticized referee Kerry Hatley for his late stoppage in the fight between Jalin Turner and Bobby Green, calling it “one of the worst” he’s seen and arguing that such errors can endanger fighters’ health.
Matt Brown is known for advocating for referees to give him every chance of coming back before stopping his fights. However, even he was shocked by what occurred at UFC Austin.
In the co-main event, Jalin Turner knocked Bobby Green down with two powerful right hands. Green seemed to be out, but referee Kerry Hatley allowed the fight to continue. Turner then jumped on top and started to pummel Green with punches.
Hatley let more than a dozen unanswered blows land before finally calling the fight. UFC CEO Dana White later described it as “one of the worst” stoppages he’s ever seen.
Brown expressed his disbelief on an episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. He was astounded that the ref allowed the fight to continue without intervening. He questioned Hatley’s thought process, wondering how clear it was that Green was completely out.
As shocked as Brown was, he still preferred this outcome to early stoppages. He argued that early stoppages rob fighters of the chance to survive and come back. But he admitted that what happened with Turner vs. Green was beyond reason.
Brown even joked about requesting Hatley for his fights. He’d rather risk serious injury than have a fight stopped prematurely. He criticized Hatley’s decision as ridiculous and egregious, comparing it to another infamous stoppage in his fight against Pete Sell.
Sources close to Green confirmed he didn’t suffer serious injuries from the late stoppage. However, he still took a lot of unnecessary punishment because Hatley didn’t stop the fight in time. Brown argued that the real issue was that Green paid for Hatley’s mistake with his health, while Hatley likely faced no consequences.
Brown called for Hatley’s dismissal, stating that there should be repercussions for such actions. He pointed out that Hatley had made similar mistakes before. He stressed that the commission’s job is to protect the fighters and there should be consequences for failing to do so.
Despite his criticism, Brown acknowledged the difficulty of a referee’s job. They have to make split-second decisions with almost zero room for error, knowing that a fighter’s career is on the line. He admitted that he usually gives referees the benefit of the doubt, even when he disagrees with their decisions.
However, he believed that Hatley’s decision was particularly terrible because it was clear that Green was done after he fell face-first to the canvas. He argued that Hatley had plenty of time to think about his decision, unlike other situations where referees have to make quick calls.
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