Dana White reacts to horrendous referee stoppage in the Jalin Turner vs. Bobby Green fight at UFC Austin
UFC CEO Dana White has something about say about referee Kerry Hatley following the Jalin Turner vs. Bobby Green bout in Austin, Texas on December 2.
The ending to the Turner vs. Green fight was brutal, and Hatley, the official inside the ring, has come under fire for his late stoppage. Turner was on top of Green raining down strikes and it was clear that Hatley’s time to step in was due. Instead, Hatley waited until Green was put to sleep, perhaps multiple times, to stop the fight. It wasn’t a pretty sight and White is in total agreement with those who have criticized the referee.
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Dana White On Jalin Turner vs. Bobby Green Stoppage
During the UFC Austin post-fight press conference, Dana White touched on the widely panned late stoppage. The UFC boss said that while the stoppage was horrendous, he’s been led to believe that referee Kerry Hatley knows he made a mistake unlike other refs who have doubled down in the past (via MMAJunkie).
“(It was) one of the worst I’ve ever seen,” White said. “The difference is we’ve had some refs say some dumb sh*t in the past, like, ‘I allowed her to be a warrior tonight,’ and goofy sh*t like that. He knows he made a mistake tonight and does not feel not feel good about it, so it’s unfortunate.”
No matter how you slice it, however, Bobby Green received additional unnecessary damage, and that fact certainly isn’t lost on Dana.
“Definitely a bad stoppage,” White said. “Very bad.”
One would hope that Hatley has learned from the situation and while fans wouldn’t want to see him jump the gun too early on fights, the hope is that he will take a “better safe than sorry approach” for the bouts he officiates going forward.
