UFC President Dana White had a few stern words for Herb Dean after yet another controversial stoppage from the veteran referee.
The incident came in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 32 between Ben Rothwell and Marcos Rogerio de Lima. De Lima rocked R…
UFC President Dana White had a few stern words for Herb Dean after yet another controversial stoppage from the veteran referee.
The incident came in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 32 between Ben Rothwell and Marcos Rogerio de Lima. De Lima rocked Rothwell early, and while pummelling him relentlessly against the cage, Dean stepped in to call off proceedings. He then, however, stepped back and allowed the fight to continue, before stepping back in to call the fight off once more, just 32 seconds into round one.
While one of the UFC’s most experienced referees, Dean has recently courted much criticism for a series of botched stoppages. Former UFC welterweight Dan Hardy has been his most fierce critic, with the duo having been involved in a much-publicized on-air squabble in July last year at UFC Fight Island 3. In that incident, Hardy protested Dean’s reluctance to stop the fight between Jai Herbert and Francisco Trinaldo, with the former sustaining unnecessary damage as a result.
Dana White Lashes Herb Dean For Controversial Stoppage
At the UFC Vegas 42 post-fight press conference, Dana Whitedidn’t mince words when asked to weigh in on Dean’s botched stoppage. While the UFC President conceded that the fight should have been stopped anyway, he warned the veteran referee to improve his decision-making, alluding to Dean’s recent track record of less than optimal refereeing.
“Herb needs to stop touching guys unless the fight’s over,” said White. “He goes in and grabs [Ben Rothwell] by the waist, and then decides, ‘Oops.’ The good thing about this one was that fight should’ve been stopped when he stopped it. And you didn’t see Ben jumping up and arguing about it. That fight should’ve been stopped. But he’s gotta pull the trigger and stop touching guys. Don’t touch them unless you’re gonna stop the fight. And when they played it back in slow motion, he’s kinda like dancing, like he doesn’t know what to do, whether he’s gonna jump in or not jump in.”
White however tempered his critique of Dean, who made his debut as a UFC referee in 2004, by mentioning that the man once regarded as the gold standard of MMA refereeing is still, at least on a personal level, in his good books.
“Yeah, I like him personally. He’s a nice guy. But he’s gotta stop touching people until he’s ready to stop the fight,” said White.
What do you think? Is it time for Herb Dean to step down as a UFC referee, or is he still one of the best?
UFC Vegas 42 went down last night (Sat., Nov 13, 2021) from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring a Featherweight firefight that saw Max Holloway defeat Yair Rodriguez via unanimo…
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
UFC Vegas 42 went down last night (Sat., Nov 13, 2021) from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring a Featherweight firefight that saw Max Holloway defeat Yair Rodriguez via unanimous decision in what turned out to be an instant classic (see it again here). In the co-main event, Marcos Rogerio de Lima put the Heavyweight division on notice by absolutely obliterating Ben Rothwell in little more than one minute thanks to the heavy bombs he unloaded on the long-time veteran.
Biggest Winner: Max Holloway
It was far from a walk in the park, but Holloway delivered yet another memorable performance, pulling out a win against a very determined Yair Rodriguez, who gave the former champion all he could handle for 25 minutes. After five rounds of back-and-forth action, Holloway walked out of the Apex with his second straight win, putting him at the top of the list for a third title fight against division champion, Alex Volkanovski. With back-to-back “Fight of the Night” performances, “Blessed” showed he is still one of the very best Featherweights on the planet and still improving after each fight. Whether or not a third fight against “The Great” happens next is still unclear, but he has plenty of options, including a possible rematch against Conor McGregor.
Runner Up: Marcos Rogerio de Lima
He may not be ranked in the Top 15 just yet, but de Lima put the Heavyweight hitters on notice by scoring a vicious knockout of Ben Rothwell in just 32 seconds. Not only was the power in which de Lima delivered the punishment that wowed everyone, but his speed was eye-popping, as well. “Pezao” will undoubtedly use the momentum of this big win to keep pushing forward on his quest to earning a spot on the official rankings, which brings with it bigger and better fights and eventually, bigger paychecks.
Biggest Loser: Cynthia Calvillo
First thing’s first: This is not a knock on Calvillo or her corner for stopping the fight, let’s make that clear. If she and her team felt she couldn’t continue after taking plenty of damage in the first 10 minutes, then that’s a wise and tough decision they made to live to fight another day. Calvillo gets this spot for the simple fact that coming into the bout she was the fighter we felt needed a win the most (see it here) because she was riding a two-fight losing streak coming into the event. After starting her UFC career with an impressive 6-1-1 run, three straight losses is baffling because Calvillo was considered a legit threat to the division title. Where it’s gone wrong only she knows, but she will have to go back to the drawing board to see how she can get back on track and return to her winning ways.
For complete UFC Vegas 42 results and coverage click here.
Grand Prix caps off big weekend of jiu-jitsu in Vegas One of the biggest weekends of the year for the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation was capped off by two professional grand prix tournaments, each paying $20,000 to…
Grand Prix caps off big weekend of jiu-jitsu in Vegas
One of the biggest weekends of the year for the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation was capped off by two professional grand prix tournaments, each paying $20,000 to the winner. The heavyweight grand prix featured Victor Hugo of Six Blades Jiu-Jitsu, Gustavo Batista of Atos, Fellipe Andrew of Alliance, and Mahamed Aly of Team Lloyd Irvin. The middleweight grand prix featured Otavio Souza of Gracie Barra, Jonnatas Gracie of Atos, Tainan Dalpra of Art of Jiu-Jitsu, and Renato Canuto of Checkmat. These brackets served as a great precursor to the World Championships, which will take place in Anaheim, California from December 9-12.
Tainan Dalpra continues to shine as a rookie black belt
Since receiving his black belt just over a year ago, Tainan Dalpra has competed at every opportunity possible in an attempt to assert himself as the best middleweight in the world. Prior to the grand prix, Dalpra had amassed a record of 30-1, competing in IBJJF open tournaments and various super fight shows. His first opponent at the Grand Prix was Renato Canuto, a grappler known for his acrobatic style and his willingness to challenge himself in any grappling ruleset. Dalpra started the match off by pulling guard and quickly swept Canuto from his favored de la riva position. Canuto countered well and was able to sweep right back, evening the score. From there, it was all Tainan Dapra. He swept Caunto again and then kept the pressure on for the remainder of the match. Although Canuto showed a great ability to retain his guard, Tainan’s pressure was too much as he was able to secure a guard pass in the final minute of the match and ride out a 7-2 score for the victory.
In the final, Tainan took on Atos representative and former teammate Jonnatas Gracie. Prior to the split between Art of Jiu Jitsu and Atos, the two had spent time training together at each other’s academies. In his first match, Gracie beat three time IBJJF World Champion Otavio Sousa of Gracie Barra by referee decision. In the final, Tainan again started the match with a guard pull, this time looking to invert and get to Gracie’s back. Gracie was able to defend the initial setups, eventually working back to the feet and pulling guard. From there, Tainan quickly moved around Gracie’s legs, forcing him to either concede a guard pass or give up his back. Gracie elected the latter strategy and Tainan capitalized, setting his grips in the collars and securing the choke about three and a half minutes into the match. With the victory, Tainan improved his black belt record to 32-1 and secured his status as one of the best middleweights in the world.
Victor Hugo uses pressure and submission skills to take out top ranked heavyweights
In the opening round of the heavyweight grand prix, Victor Hugo of Six Blades Jiu-Jitsu took on Gustavo Batista of Atos. Victor had quite a distinct size advantage in this match and he used it perfectly to keep Batista on the defensive throughout. After a feeling out process on the feet, Batista pulled guard and looked to get to his favored single leg x position. Although Victor was unable to secure a guard pass, he kept Batista’s movement at bay and won by a penalty that Batista received for an illegal grip earlier in the match.
In the final, Hugo squared off with Mahamed Aly of Team Lloyd Irvin. Aly is a 2018 IBJJF black belt World Champion who, despite not having competed much this year, looked in great form. He took out 2021 Pan absolute champion Fellipe Andrew in the semi-final in a back and forth match that saw Aly’s guard passing looking as sharp as ever. In the final, Victor Hugo immediately pulled guard. Victor utilized his flexibility and movement based bottom game to setup a foot lock on Aly. Although he was able to defend the submission for nearly a minute, Victor slowly adjusted the grip on the foot and got the verbal tap two and a half minutes into the contest.
If you thought it felt different, you were right. Though it was another in a line of weekly Fight Night shows before few fans at the UFC’s Apex facility in Las Vegas, the Saturday edition this time around had a bit more star power…
If you thought it felt different, you were right. Though it was another in a line of weekly Fight Night shows before few fans at the UFC’s Apex facility in Las Vegas, the Saturday edition this time around had a bit more star power…
Zane Simon & Eddie Mercado are here to breakdown this Saturday’s, November 13th, ‘UFC Vegas 42: Max Holloway vs. Yair Rodriguez’ Fight Night event. The guys will have hot takes, possible next fights,…
Zane Simon & Eddie Mercado are here to breakdown this Saturday’s, November 13th, ‘UFC Vegas 42: Max Holloway vs. Yair Rodriguez’ Fight Night event. The guys will have hot takes, possible next fights, as well as reactions to the overall event.
Bloody Elbow fight experts, Zane Simon & Eddie Mercado, are here tonight – Saturday, November 13th., 2021, to breakdown the UFC Vegas 42: ‘Holloway vs. Rodrigues’ Fight Night event, which was broadcast back at the APEX Center in good old Las Vegas, NV.
Taking Holloway. Always a chance Yair lands something wild, but Holloway puts volume out there like nobody else in MMA. Can’t see Yair meeting Holloway on striking terms and surviving. #UFCVegas42
The UFC showcased a Featherweight Tilt in the main event of UFC Vegas 42. We had future Hall-of-Famer, the former UFC Featherweight Champion, Hawaiian born, Max ‘Blessed’ Holloway. He won that title defeating José Aldo at UFC 212 while holding the interim title, then defending that title three times. He is #1 in the UFC Featherweight rankings and #7 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings. He has a storied list of arguably the most decorated and impressive UFC career accomplishments, including:
KO of the Night (One time) vs.Will Chope
FOTN (Four times) vs. José Aldo, Brian Ortega, Dustin Poirier, & Calvin Kattar
POTN (Four times) vs. Akira Corassani, Cub Swanson, Anthony Pettis, and Brian Ortega
First American to win the UFC Featherweight Championship
Tied-third longest winning streak in UFC history (13) (Jon Jones, Demetrious Johnson, Georges St-Pierre, Khabib Nurmagomedov)
Longest winning streak in UFC Featherweight division history (14)
Most fights in UFC Featherweight division history (22)
Most wins in UFC featherweight division (17)
Most KO/TKO wins in UFC featherweight division (8)
Most stoppage victories in UFC Featherweight division history (10)
Most significant strikes landed in a fight in UFC history (+445 vs. Calvin Kattar)
Most significant strikes attempted in a fight in UFC history (+744 vs. Calvin Kattar)
Most distance strikes landed in a fight in UFC history (+439 vs. Calvin Kattar)
Most significant head strikes landed in a fight in UFC history (+274 vs. Calvin Kattar)
Most significant body strikes landed in a fight in UFC history (+117 vs. Calvin Kattar)
Most significant strikes landed in a round in UFC history (+141 vs. Calvin Kattar)
Most strikes landed in a fight in UFC history (+447 vs. Calvin Kattar)
Most strikes attempted in a fight in UFC history (+746 vs. Calvin Kattar)
Highest significant strike differential in a fight in UFC history (+312 vs. Calvin Kattar)
Not that it’s any surprise, but Max entered the Octagon a massive favorite against his combatant, Yair ‘El Pantera’ Rodriguez, who was returning after two years away. Yair was on a two-fight win streak however, and if he were to come away victorious tonight, he would have gotten a shot at that title Gold, hoping to gain the second championship for Mexico. You may recall that Rodriguez was the winning alum from The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America’s 2014 tournament. He was currently ranked #3 in the UFC Featherweight rankings. His other accolades include:
FOTN (Four times) vs. Charles Rosa, Alex Caceres, Chan Sung Jung and Jeremy Stephens
POTN (Three times) vs. Andre Fili, BJ Penn and Chan Sung Jung
Outcome: ‘Blessed’ impressed for five wild rounds in a scrappy war with Yair. The five round banger was a master class in mixed martial arts techniques. It looked like there was going to be a knockout or a submission here and there from one or the other combatants, but in the end it was another Unanimous Decision victory for Max. Yair was relentless from the get go, just destroying Max’s legs with calf kicks that sent him to the hospital for a look at his foot post-fight. Rodriguez was volatile in his comeback, putting on the fight of his life, looking fantastic against Max, considering Holloway may very well be the best Featherweight in UFC history. Great fight, so much so it earned the FOTN bonus for this event.
“He was better than me tonight. I can do nothing else but accept that.” – Yair Rodriguez #UFCVegas42
Meanwhile, the co-main event featured Heavyweights, Ben Rothwell, with a record of 39-13 and Marcos ‘Pezão’ Rogério de Lima, with a record of 18-7. Both men were entering the Octagon today with one win each under their belts.
Rothwell definitely went out a couple times in there. Totally fine stoppage. Brutal stuff from de Lima. #UFCVegas42
Prior to the headlining bouts, we were graced with promising showdowns including, Featherweight up-and-comers, Felicia ‘Feenom’ Spencer vs. Leah ‘Nidas’ Letson, Welterweight prospects, Miguel ‘Caramel Thunder’ Baeza vs. Khaos ‘The Oxfighter’ Williams, and for the main card opener we had Bantamweights, the ‘Kung Fu Monkey’ – Yadong Song vs. Julio Arce.
Outcomes: Knockout of the night goes to Khaos Williams in the main card opener, earning his POTN Bonus in the first minute of the third round. As a matter of fact, it was all finishes leading up to the main event… Song via Punches, Williams via Punches, ‘Feenom’ Spencer impressed, putting on a clinic against Letson smashing her via G&P, and of course we had de Lima victorious via those 32 second Punches. It was a very exciting main card tonight.
“I was made for this. I was made for this. I was counted out before I got in here. They didn’t feel me, but they know I’m a threat now.” – Khaos Williams #UFCVegas42
A record for the event was actually earned for most finishes on a card (9 out of 11 bouts) & five fighters suffered their first career TKO/KO losses at UFC Vegas 42 tonight as well.
Some hard GnP from Spencer as she moves to quarter guard and the ref calls it as Letson turtles up. Late TKO from Spencer… setting her up to fight??? Holly Holm? #UFCVegas42
We had a highly-anticipated Lightweight match between Thiago Moisés and Joel ‘El Fenomeno’ Alvarez in our featured prelim, which surprisingly wrapped up at 3:01 of the first round; when Joel threw a flurry of elbows and uppercuts.
Other bouts worth mentioning included: POTN Bonus performance from #12 ranked Andrea ‘KGB’ Lee in her impressive Flyweight match-up against #5 ranked Cynthia Calvillo, which actually ended in a corner stoppage at the close of the second round (a CT scan post-fight confirmed a broken right orbital on Calvillo).
We also had a memorable moment when Woodson took home his first UFC finish with Hooks to the body of Collin Anglin. Courtney Casey took it to the judges scorecards with a notable use of range throughout all three rounds. Alves & Jung started out the card with finishes as well; Jung with standing elbows and Alves with a Guillotine choke submission victory. Jung put on the performance of his career face planting Nzechukwu with those flying elbows and it’s certainly debatable that he should have received a POTN bonus, instead of, or in addition to, Andrea Lee’s Corner Stoppage bout tonight.
So far the theme of #UFCVegas42 has been body shots & same side elbows
Overall, this now 11-bout card saw five exhilarating first round finishes, eight impressive KO/TKO’s, one submission, and two hard-fought decisions. Rounding things out, bonuses for putting forth POTN efforts went to Marlon Vera, Chris Andrea Lee & Khaos Williams;FOTN honors went to Max Holloway vs. Yair Rodriguez. What a wild Saturday of fights we have to share with you, join us to discuss all the action!
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Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway went out of his way to track down his UFC Vegas 42 opponent, Yair Rodriguez after their all-time great bout. Holloway earned the victory over Rodriguez by a unanimous decision, but it was anything but easy. Rodriguez hurt Holloway throughout the fight and both required medical attention following their […]
Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway went out of his way to track down his UFC Vegas 42 opponent, Yair Rodriguez after their all-time great bout.
Holloway earned the victory over Rodriguez by a unanimous decision, but it was anything but easy. Rodriguez hurt Holloway throughout the fight and both required medical attention following their back-and-forth war.
After the fight, Rodriguez was about to head to a local Las Vegas-area hospital in an ambulance before he was greeted by Holloway on his way from the UFC Apex. The two top featherweights shared a brief conversation and a photo before they went their separate ways.
Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez Fought in One of the Greatest Featherweight Bouts in UFC History
Max Holloway actually made sure to track down Yair Rodriguez before he was transported to the hospital to show his respect and appreciation pic.twitter.com/nZk3cxGDFf
Holloway is well-known for his classy persona in and out of the octagon, and that didn’t change after his newfound respect for Rodriguez. Rodriguez had returned to the octagon after a two-year hiatus, while Holloway was coming off of his legendary performance against Calvin Kattar earlier this year.
What could be next for both fighters remains up in the air. Both Holloway and Rodriguez may need some time off after their back-and-forth war. Holloway has made it be known that he wants a third fight with featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Holloway allegedly had the option to either wait for a title shot against Volkanovski or to remain active in a fight with Rodriguez. It ended up being an instant classic between two of the top featherweights in the UFC.
Rodriguez didn’t look rusty at all after two years away from the octagon. He had plenty of moments in the fight and gained plenty of respect from the viewing fans who may or may not have been too familiar with his skill set.
Holloway and Rodriguez could fight again in the future, which would be a welcomed matchup for fans across the board.
What was your reaction to the Max Holloway vs. Yair Rodriguez instant classic at UFC Vegas 42?
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Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway went out of his way to track down his UFC Vegas 42 opponent, Yair Rodriguez after their all-time great bout. Holloway earned the victory over Rodriguez by a unanimous decision, but it was anything but easy. Rodriguez hurt Holloway throughout the fight and both required medical attention following their […]