Referee's reasoning for not stopping Nguyen vs. Yahya earlier 'seemed fine,' says exec

5 days ago

Steven Nguyen set a UFC record in Abu Dhabi, prompting cause for concern.
On the UFC on ABC 9 prelims at Etihad Arena, Nguyen (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) was officially credited with six total knockdowns on Mohammad Yahya, setting a new UFC record. The previous total was five, which Nguyen reached in the opening round.
Yahya (12-6 MMA, 0-3 UFC) continued to get back to his feet, the commentary team and many sharing their thoughts on social media began to wonder if and when referee Jason Herzog would say enough was enough, and stop the fight.
UFC executive Dave Shaw said they spoke to the referee after the fight to understand his thought process.
"We talked to Herzog after, and he was commenting that there was certain moments in the fight where Yahya looked like he was right back in it," Shaw told reporters during a post-fight news conference. "So, he'd get knocked down, he got knocked down quickly. I think there were five in the first round and maybe two more in the second. I think how rapidly his eye changed, and got swollen and bulged up – what do I think? Definitely there was a solid argument for that fight could have been called earlier, but he provided his justification, and it seemed fine to me."
As the fight continued into Round 2, Yahya's left eye became freakishly swollen. When the fighters returned to their stools, the cageside doctor said the fight could not continue, and Nguyen was awarded the TKO victory. Yahya was assessed at a medical facility, and luckily, Shaw said he suffered no permanent damage.
"The other side of it now too is post-medical evaluation, going to the hospital – just all swelling," Shaw said. "So, there's no damage – no permanent damage that requires surgery."
Shaw was asked by a reporter if this fight could lead to the implementation of a three-knockdown rule, similar to boxing.
"No, I don't think so," Shaw said. "I mean, the record was five, and I don't want to make a judgment on that just we've got one fight that we're commenting on. We should be looking at a wide body of evidence and I think we've all seen some pretty incredible fights over the years that are three rounds, that are five rounds that have three, four, five knockdowns, and they're wildly entertaining. It doesn't necessarily there's an extensive amount of damage."