Josh Rosenthal is proving to be a man that owns up to his mistakes.
The MMA referee has come under massive heat following a late stoppage in the UFC on Fuel 4 main event bout between Mark Munoz and Chris Weidman.
Fighters depend on referees to do their jobs and protect them from unnecessary injury or harm.
Rosenthal let his job get away from him on Wednesday night, as he allowed Munoz to take a multitude of unanswered strikes before finally stepping in to stop the fight.
“I came home and I watched it, and I was kind of like you know, if I was sitting here, watching this on the couch, I probably would’ve been talking smack about myself,” Rosenthal said on SiriusXM’s Tapout Radio Show.
Weidman, who dropped Munoz with an elbow in the second round, landed 17 unanswered punches before Rosenthal called a halt to the action.
At times, it can be tough for a ref to make a call when their vision is obscured by the awkward positions fighters typically end up in.
This certainly wasn’t the case for Rosenthal, who was angled perfectly to see every punch landed and Munoz’s reaction.
Rosenthal continues:
“I always say accountability is a huge part of the sport, and you are accountable for your actions. I feel like I was just a little slow on the trigger [Wednesday]. I don’t want to see guys take unnecessary punishment. It’s a rough sport.
“Everyone knows what they sign in for, but it’s a millisecond-basis game. You’re making choices right there on the spot, and in the heat of the moment, I felt like I was seeing some stuff. In hindsight, I have to step my game up and make sure I’m on point for the next guys.”
Thankfully, Munoz wasn’t seriously injured, and he’ll live to fight another day. Rosenthal should be commended for realizing his error in judgment, and hopefully, this incident will make him an even better referee in the future.
People may pay hundreds of dollars to come and see their favorite fighters, but at the end of the day, the referee has the most important job of all.
They save lives.
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