Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
“It probably could have been stopped a punch earlier. Sometimes you have to give guys a bit more leeway to see if they can recover. But from my position, I believe it was stopped a tad too late.”
UFC president Dana White wasn’t in attendance at UFC Fight Night 158 to give his take on the main event between Justin Gaethje and Donald Cerrone, but senior vice president of content, David Shaw, believes the referee could have stopped the action earlier.
Gaethje, who won the bout via first-round technical knockout, had to plead with with referee Jerin Velil to stop the fight after dropping ‘Cowboy’ with a right hook. ‘The Highlight’ reluctantly landed a couple more shots before Velil intervened and called a stop to the action.
Speaking to reporters at the UFC Fight Night 158 post-fight press conference, Shaw sympathized with the referee but believes he authorized a late stoppage.
“Justin seemed upset. Cowboy seemed upset. It was one of those situations where Jerin probably gave Cowboy — considering his experience, expertise, and how long he’s been fighting — the benefit of the doubt. It probably could have got stopped a punch earlier,” Shaw said, per BJPenn.com.
“He did the right thing in the end. It probably could have been stopped a punch earlier. Sometimes you have to give guys a bit more leeway to see if they can recover. But from my position, I believe it was stopped a tad too late.”
With the win, Gaethje cemented himself as one of the most dangerous contenders in the lightweight division and called for a fight with the winner of the proposed lightweight title bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson, who are expected to face off in the new year.