UFC President Dana White criticized referee Kerry Hatley for a late stoppage during Jalin Turner‘s first-round knockout victory over Bobby Green at UFC Austin, calling it “one of the worst” he’s ever seen.
Dana White, UFC’s president, didn’t mince his words when asked about the controversial referee stoppage by Kerry Hatley. The incident happened during UFC Austin’s co-main event. White’s response? “One of the worst I’ve ever seen,” he said during UFC Austin’s post-fight press conference.
The referee, Hatley, found himself in hot water on Saturday. The reason? Many thought he was late in stopping Jalin Turner’s first-round knockout victory over Bobby Green. Green was dropped by a right hand from Turner in the opening minutes. Turner then towered over Green, landing undefended blows for more than 10 seconds before Hatley stepped in.
The outrage was palpable. Many fighters were livid at Hatley’s decision-making during the finishing sequence. UFC cageside commentator Daniel Cormier didn’t hold back either. He called it “one of the absolute worst stoppages in MMA history.” UFC featherweight Sodiq Yusuff took to social media, demanding Hatley’s firing. “That insane man. I’ve never been actually mad at a ref before. Someone could die of s*** like that,” he wrote.
White isn’t one to shy away from criticizing a commission official. He acknowledged Hatley’s mistake but also showed some restraint due to Hatley’s apparent contrition. “The difference is we’ve had some refs say some dumb s*** in the past like, ‘Oh, I allowed her to be a warrior tonight,’ and goofy s*** like that,” White explained. “He knows that he made a mistake tonight and he does not feel good about it. So it’s unfortunate.
“Definitely a bad stoppage. Very bad,” White added.
Turner, the fighter who benefited from the late stoppage, didn’t criticize Hatley too harshly. The 28-year-old UFC lightweight admitted he was baffled by Hatley’s indecision in the finishing sequence. However, he expressed relief that Green appeared to be lucid and in relatively good health after the knockout.
Turner’s post-fight comments were a bit mixed. “I don’t know, bro. I don’t know what to call it,” he said. “He just waited until Bobby was out. Like, Bobby’s tough. Bobby’s a really tough fighter, so when I was punching, he was defending, he was moving, he was still a bit coherent and I was like, dang.
“I was like, maybe this should be stopped, maybe not, and I’m not going to stop until you pull me off because it’s him or me, and he would’ve gotten his bearings about him, he could’ve gotten back on top or something crazy. So it is what it is. He was healthy, he was coherent, he was good after, we had good words, so I’m happy he was in good health, decent health. So it is what it is.”