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UFC fans are always quick to criticize a stoppage as being too quick or too late when it comes to fight-ending sequences. The referees always try to stop the fight as they see fit. But sometimes, they miss out on specific cues and make bad calls.
It's not always about the officials, doctors, or corners, as fighters themselves need to be blamed at times for carrying on when they can't. Instead of fighting another day, they choose to be tough and see the fight through till the end to prove something to themselves and the fans.
So here's a look at five UFC fights that should have been stopped much earlier but went on for too long.
#5. Glover Teixiera vs. Anthony Smith at UFC Fight Night 171
When the entire commentary team talks about how the fight needs to end, it shows that someone has taken more damage than they needed to. That is exactly what happened when Glover Teixiera took on Anthony Smith.
In the third round, Smith was dropped by Teixeira, faceplanting him into the canvas. But 'Lionheart' soldiered on. There were many moments in the third round when referee Jason Herzog could have stopped the fight but, for whatever reason, chose not to.
Smith even told his corner that his teeth were falling out, but they didn't seem to acknowledge it. Smith went into the fifth round without landing a single strike, and the fight mercifully ended a minute in.
After the fight was over, Dana White and the fans were quick to criticize Jason Herzog and Smith's corner for not stopping the fight. But the American insisted he would have fired anyone who threw in the towel.
#4. Luke Rockhold vs. Chris Weidman at UFC 194
Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold faced off against each other in December 2015. The fight was expected to be an even contest between the two elite middleweights. But when Rockhold took Weidman down towards the end of the third round, he gained a full mount with seventy seconds left in the round.
Rockhold threw 75 elbows and punches to the face of Weidman, which left him cut wide open. Weidman's face was left bloodied, and he wasn't even able to stand completely. The corner of Weidman kept telling him how he was winning the round and lost it in the end, rather than looking at his condition. When the ground and pound started again in the fourth round, referee Herb Dean jumped in quickly and stopped the fight.
#3. Amanda Nunes vs. Raquel Pennington at UFC 224
Amanda Nunes is the greatest female mixed martial artist of all time. She demolished almost every challenger that was put in front of her. But a few of her fights stand out due to their brutal nature, and one of them was her title defense against Raquel Pennington.
When the fight started, Nunes took control and put up a phenomenal striking display on Pennington. After the fourth round was over, 'Rocky' returned to her corner and said, ''I'm done''. Her coaches, however, convinced her to power through and try to end on a high note.
In the fifth round, she got hit with a barrage of strikes on the ground and the fight was finally stopped. This corner exchange between 'Rocky' and her coaches has ignited an everlasting debate in the MMA community about whether fighters need to go out on their shield or yield to fight another day.
#2. Max Holloway vs. Calvin Kattar at UFC Fight Island 7
Max Holloway broke the record for the most significant strikes landed in a single fight when he faced Calvin Kattar in the main event of Fight Island 7. The former featherweight champion landed a total of 445 strikes. The strike differential in that fight was a whopping 312.
This was Holloway's first fight since his consecutive losses to Alexander Volkanovski. The Hawaiian was looking to silence his critics, who argued that the former featherweight champion might have lost a step. Holloway went into the fight with a point to prove and he did just that. As soon as the bell rang, Holloway showed off his superior striking. The sheer volume that Holloway put on Kattar was frightening. Towards the championship rounds, Kattar's face was bloodied and bruised. Only his heart and will allowed him to survive till the end of the fight.
Either the referee, Kattar's corner, or the doctor should have stopped the fight due to the amount of damage he had absorbed. 'Blessed' got so comfortable during the fight that he started yelling at the commentary team while dodging attacks from Kattar and landing his own. Holloway yelled, "I'm the best boxer in the UFC''.
Holloway was so dominant in the fight that two judges scored the bout 50-43, while another judge scored the fight 50-42 in favor of him. He ultimately won via unanimous decision but most fans and fight analysts would agree that the fight should have been stopped much sooner.
#1. Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega at UFC 266
The rivalry between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega started when both were announced as coaches for The Ultimate Fighter. The two squared off at UFC 266 for the featherweight championship.
After being outstruck by nearly a double in the first two rounds, Ortega brought his submission skills to the table and almost finished off the Australian. But 'The Great' showed his championship pedigree and escaped all the submission attempts from Ortega. 'T-City' was hit by 61 significant strikes in the third round from the featherweight champion.
Ortega was nearly finished as the round ended but was put back on his feet by his cornermen. According to Volkanovski, the doctor and the referee gave Ortega time until he answered their questions correctly and thus was allowed to carry on. By the end of the third and fourth round, Ortega's right eye was quite swollen and he had a deep gash on his left eyebrow. If he wasn't such a seasoned fighter, this could have posed a real problem in the future had he taken more damage. But the referee Herb Dean defended his decision to allow Ortega to continue, saying that the doctor cleared him to fight.
