‘13 Shots Were Left Unanswered’ – Official Ref Marc Goddard Responds After Late Israel Adesanya Stoppage Claims at UFC 281; Fans Approve

The Israel Adesanya vs Alex Pereira fight was a treat for fans. The fight saw both fighters inflict damage on each other with some strong and accurate punches. While Adesanya looked like he was going to win the fight for the major part. It was Alex Pereira’s brilliant striking in the 5th round that won him the belt.

The fight ended with the referee Marc Goddard stopping the fight resulting in a technical Knock-out for ‘The Last Stylebender’. Now the stoppage has come under scrutiny. Initially, Adesanya was not happy with the stoppage. However, he later clarified that he had no issues with the stoppage once he talked to his coach.

READ MORE: “He Obviously Wasn’t Out” – Respected Israel Adesanya Gets Dana White’s Verdict on Early Stoppage at UFC 281

Marc Goddard tweeted “My job is to protect. Thank you Israel. Congratulations Alex. God bless.” The reason for stopping the fight at that point was that Goddard thought Adesanya could not protect himself. In the 5th round, Alex Pereira rained down punches on Israel Adesanya, who looked a little dazed after the first couple of punches connected. He was wobbling and not strong on his legs, and that’s when Goddard stopped the fight.

Fans feel Goddard saved Israel Adesanya from a major injury.

Fans have now come out supporting Goddard’s stop. A user tweeted “Good stoppage, Marc. Izzy was inside the avalanche. Few seconds is all it takes between walking out and being stretchered out. The rule was to defend yourself at all time. Izzy wasn’t even looking at the punches. Matter of fact, you gave Izzy every chance to fight his way out.”

Another user tweeted “might have saved his life and definitely saved his brain from unnecessary damage, you did good”. Marc Goddard has been around the fighting game for a while now. He knows the sport, and the dangers involved. He is a former fighter and so his judgment on stoppage can’t be criticized to a certain extent.

Fans approve of Goddard’s stop

Fans approved Goddard’s stop and came out in support. A user commented, “You did the right thing. no hate for any fighter. 13 shots were left unanswered.” Another commented, “Perfect stoppage, he was on ice skates” Another fan had a similar reaction. He said “Saved Izzy from becoming a real highlight KO“.  Another user wrote, “You stopped Adesanya from probably getting knocked out cold, good job” 

Watch This Story: Five times Alex Pereira mocked Israel Adesanya ahead of UFC 281.

Protecting yourself at all times is the rule no.1 in all combat sports. Letting a fight go on when one fighter cannot protect himself may cause serious injuries to fighters. Fans may be divided, but it’s clear that Mark Goddard knows what he does and did his job. Do you think he was wrong in stopping the fight?