“Horrible Stoppage by the Referee” – Dana White Blasts UFC 251 Referee

UFC president Dana White criticized referee Leon Roberts for not stopping the fight early.

UFC Fight Island just wrapped up. And what a night it has been. Almost every fight on the card lived up to its hype. However, Jose Aldo vs Petr Yan stood out among the rest. The duo went to hell and back for the vacant bantamweight championship.

Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo put up one of his best performances to date. But Yan’s boxing and strength combined overwhelmed him. Many critics believed that this fight should not have been made in the first place as there were other contenders like Aljamain Sterling or Marlon Moraes.

Nevertheless, Dana White is glad that Aldo showed up and delivered.

“Aldo looked great for people who were criticizing him, saying he doesn’t deserve a title shot,” Dana White said during the UFC 251 post-fight press conference.

The referee’s performance did not impress Dana White

The bout was competitive in the early rounds. However, the tides shifted as the fight progressed. Aldo was visibly slowing down. The Brazilian started taking more damage than before. As a result, he got dropped multiple times in the fight, including the fifth round.

Soon after Yan dropped Aldo in the last round, the Russian landed devastating blows on Aldo. It seemed like Aldo was done for. But being the competitor he is, Aldo did not give up. Many fighters and critics believe that the fight should have been stopped earlier as Also was taking unnecessary damage.

Unfortunately for the referee, White shares the same opinion as many others. The UFC juggernaut believes that the fight could have been stopped much sooner.

“Horrible, horrible stoppage by the referee. It should have been stopped way sooner. We gotta tighten up our refs and judges, you know?” White added.

What do you think of the stoppage?