Jalin Turner got back in the win column in a big way at UFC Austin this past weekend (Dec. 2, 2023). Unfortunately, referee, Kerry Hatley, stole a majority of the spotlight with his speed (or lack thereof) in handling the stoppage.
Originally set to watch the event along with the rest of the community, Turner got a short notice call to compete in the evening’s Lightweight co-main event after his last opponent, Dan Hooker, re-broke his arm and was forced out of his bout against Green. Riding a two-fight losing skid going into the bout, Turner snapped it emphatically, knocking out Green with punches in just under three minutes (watch highlights).
As impressive as the win was, the aforementioned Hatley allowed the dazed and battered Green to absorb an additional extended amount of damage until he was fully unconscious. Many of the fighters who watched the fight have voiced their displeasure with the lateness of the stoppage, including UFC Bantamweight champion, Sean O’Malley, and his coach, Tim Welch.
“God damn, Bobby Green got knocked out,” O’Malley said on the TimboSugarShow. “Fast. That was sick.”
“I feel bad for that ref, even worse for Bobby though,” Welch said. “He lost some years off his life. That was like 10 car wrecks in about five seconds.”
Coincidentally, the 135-pound knockout artist, O’Malley, is no stranger to stoppage chatter either. “Sugar” won his title with a second round technical knockout (watch highlights) of Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 in August 2023, sparking the immediate question of whether or not the bout was stopped too early. In the case of Green vs. Turner, the referee left no doubts about whether the fight was over or not.
“That fight could have been stopped legit 20 seconds earlier,” O’Malley said. “Then again, imagine it gets stopped and they say, ‘Oh, it was too early.’ That’s what could have happened. That’s just the game we play. It’s tricky.
“That was nasty,” he concluded. “Jalin Turner should be arrested for that ‘cause he knocked him out about 13 times. I’m kidding.”