Jalin Turner made a quick victory at UFC on ESPN 52 after knocking out Bobby Green in Round 1. Nonetheless, some UFC fans are unhappy with how Kerry Hatley handled the bout, saying the stoppage was too late and long.
TURNER FINISHES GREEN IN ROUND 1 👊 #UFCAUSTIN pic.twitter.com/YjeqI2GNSo
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 3, 2023
The success was remarkable for Turner. Despite stepping in to replace Dan Hooker in the bout on short notice, the fighter managed to easily handle his opponent within three minutes. The bout, however, didn’t end without any controversy.
“The Tarantula” sent a solid overhand right to Green, which instantly caused the latter to visibly wobble. Turner took the chance to send more shots, which caused Green to drop and take cover. Turner continuously sent more punches to the opponent as Green remained conscious to cover his head. After several more punches, Green blacked out, prompting referee Kerry Hatley to call the bout. While Green managed to recover and stand, the effect of the blows lingered on him.
The stoppage, nonetheless, is being considered as long and too late for many. Even Daniel Cormier, Michael Bisping, and Brendan Fitzgerald frowned upon the “horrible” action, while other fighters and fans lambasted Hatley.
“That insane man,” tweeted Sodiq Yusuff. “I’ve never been actually mad at a ref before. Someone could die of shit like that. WTF”
“One of the absolute worst stoppages in MMA history like wtf was going on,” commented Cormier. “On your stomach taking punches and it still isn’t enough. Crazy!”
That was fucking ridiculous what was the ref doing #UFCAustin
— Brandon (@brandonroyval) December 3, 2023
Worst stoppage #ufcaustin
— Julianna Peña (@VenezuelanVixen) December 3, 2023
Maaan horrible stoppage
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) December 3, 2023
Horrible stoppage
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) December 3, 2023
UFC CEO Dana White also agreed with the criticism. The executive revealed that Hatley himself is also aware and remorseful of his mistake.
“One of the worst I’ve ever seen,” White said during post-fight at UFC on ESPN 52. “The difference is we’ve had some refs say some dumb sh*t in the past, like, ‘I allowed her to be a warrior tonight,’ and goofy sh*t like that. He knows he made a mistake tonight and does not feel not feel good about it, so it’s unfortunate.”
The recent win brings Turner a new record of 14-7 MMA/7-4 UFC, with Green having 31-15-1 MMA/12-10-1 UFC. And while the fight is being viewed as controversial due to how Hatley handled his role, it can’t be denied that it was still an impressive performance for Turner who was pushed into the cage on short notice.