5 UFC fights that should have been stopped sooner

#2. Max Holloway vs. Calvin Kattar at UFC Fight Island 7

UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Kattar

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.

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#1. Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega at UFC 266

UFC 266: Volkanovski v Ortega

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.