"Ref must be on the payroll" - Biaggio Ali Walsh's 4th straight PFL knockout gets tainted with early stoppage claims

Biaggio Ali Walsh has secured the fifth consecutive KO/TKO victory of his MMA career and the fourth straight KO/TKO win of his run in the PFL MMA organization. The grandson of late boxing great Muhammad Ali, Ali Walsh secured the win by defeating Ed Davis via second-round TKO in their lightweight bout at the PFL 9 event in New York tonight (August 23rd, 2023).

The fight witnessed Ali Walsh display his striking prowess and knock his opponent Ed Davis down in round two. The 24-year-old followed Davis to the mat and tried to continue his attack with ground strikes. However, the referee Mike Walter quickly intervened and waved the fight off, declaring Ali Walsh the winner.

Watch the TKO finish in the video below:

While some have lauded Ali Walsh for his performance, others have criticized the referee for what they believe was an early stoppage. Responding to PFL MMA's tweet of the TKO sequence at PFL 9, many fans suggested that the referee made a glaring mistake by stopping the fight as Davis still appeared to be intelligently defending himself.

Some fans went as far as insinuating that the referee in the PFL matchup was on Ali Walsh's payroll. One fan tweeted:

"Ref must be on the payroll."

Check out the screenshots of a few fan reactions that addressed the purportedly early stoppage in the Ali Walsh-Davis fight below:

Screenshots of fan reactions

Heading into his lightweight matchup at PFL 9, many foresaw the durable Ed Davis as a tough challenge for Biaggio Ali Walsh. Nevertheless, with the TKO stoppage win, Muhammad Ali's grandson continued to solidify his place in the PFL and stay true to his goal of steadily evolving as an MMA competitor.

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Biaggio Ali Walsh opens up about navigating the weight of grandfather Muhammad Ali's legacy

As reported by The Sun earlier this year, Biaggio Ali Walsh notably acknowledged the pressure that comes with being the grandson of combat sports icon and former undisputed heavyweight champion boxer Muhammad Ali.

Ali Walsh highlighted that he'd previously competed as a football player, wherein he felt the pressure of the high expectations from him given his relation with 'The Greatest.'

Biaggio Ali Walsh emphasized that after making the transition to the combat sports realm, the pressure has most definitely increased, particularly since Muhammad Ali dominated the combat sports industry. Ali Walsh, who's consistently maintained that he aims to prove his mettle as an MMA fighter, expounded upon dealing with the weight of his legendary grandfather's legacy and stated:

"I had pressure when I was playing football and that's a whole different sport... I'm definitely going to have a lot more pressure participating in a combat sport."