UFC 244: 5 Fights that ended with a controversial doctor stoppage

UFC 244 had one of the most awaited fights this year, as Nate Diaz returned to the Octagon to face Jorge Masvidal in a fight for the BMF title.

The entire card was amazing, but what stunned the crowd the most was the ending to the main event. The fight, unfortunately, ended in a doctor's stoppage, something that the crowd, the commentators, the fighters, all called one of the worst decisions that could be made.

We will talk more about that decision in just a minute because, in this article, we are going to talk about some of the most controversial doctor's stoppages that no one appreciated.

These stoppages either came at an inopportune time, ending an entertaining fight, or came at the right time for the sake of the fighter's health, but everyone wished that the fight had continued. We will also include times when the team had to call the fight due to a decision made by the team doctor.

Without any further ado, let's get into it.

#5 Nate Diaz vs Jorge Masvidal

Let's talk about the fight which is freshest on everyone's mind first.

Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal at UFC 244 was one of the biggest fights of the night that everyone had been waiting for, for a long time.

Now, the first round saw Masvidal open up Diaz's cheek and eyebrow in a matter of moments. It was this moment that would later come back to haunt everyone who was involved in the fight.

The fight continued and saw Diaz keep coming no matter what Masvidal hit him with. It was almost difficult to watch, but Diaz had a lot of offense of his own as well.

However, coming back from the 3rd round, the doctor took a look at Diaz's eyebrow where there was a deep cut and decided to call the fight. It was extremely unpopular and saw the entire stadium chanting 'bulls***' and both the fighters disappointed.

Heading out of the fight, it was not the ending that anyone had wanted and left a bitter taste in the mouth of everyone watching.

#4 Tony Ferguson vs Anthony Pettis

Tony Ferguson faced Anthony Pettis on one of the most-awaited fights of the night. The two men went face-to-face as the co-main event on UFC 229, where the main event saw Conor McGregor doing battle with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

By all rights, Ferguson and Pettis had a better fight.

With his innovative offensive style, Ferguson had Pettis backing up and unsure, but he got several significant strikes. The fight had to be called due to stoppage from Pettis' own corner as his doctor and coach would not allow him to continue despite what the fighter wanted.

To be fair, Pettis had a broken hand and as a result, this saved him from further damage. Nevertheless, the crowd was less than happy at having the fight stop.

#3 Tony Ferguson vs Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone

Tony Ferguson's next fight was also one that ended in a stoppage. Coming back from his mental health issues, Ferguson entered the Octagon with Cerrone. The two fighters faced each other and went two rounds striking each other with powerful blows, resulting in Cerrone's nose breaking and his right eye swelling shut.

The doctor, unfortunately, would not let the fight continue as Cerrone had issues clearing his nose and opening his eye properly.

The crowd were not happy, but in this case, that might have been the best decision.

#2 Randy Couture vs Vitor Belfort

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Randy Couture faced Vitor Belfort in a fight where at 40 years of age, Couture would be trying to emulate the success of the fight he had won 7 years ago at UFC 15.

The fight was for Couture's Light Heavyweight Championship and something that everyone was looking forward to. Unfortunately, less than a minute into the fight, a punch from Belfort that apparently almost didn't land cut Couture's eyelid.

Couture wanted to continue, but it was not to be. The doctors had to stop the fight and as a result, Belfort ended up winning the title in what was a disappointing manner to the audience.

#1 Max Holloway vs Brian Ortega

Max Holloway faced Brian Ortega in the main event defending his UFC Featherweight Championship. Holloway and Ortega fought each other for four full rounds, with Ortega taking a lot of punishment. Holloway was dominating the fight for the most part, but after the fourth round, the doctor stopped the fight against the wishes of Ortega.

It looked like Ortega wanted to continue but the truth was that he should not have, something that he revealed he realized later. He revealed he had a broken nose and a broken thumb and realized that it was better that it had been stopped then and there.

The audience was left disappointed, but if the fight had continued, Ortega could have suffered serious injuries.

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