“Ate 7 elbows while unconscious” - UFC referee Jerin Valel under fire for letting unconscious fighter get pummeled

UFC referee Jerin Valel was on the receiving end of a lot of criticism after the events of the latest UFC Fight Night, which saw Marvin Vettori face Jared Cannonier in the main event.

The controversy, however, came earlier in the night. A preliminary card fight saw Carlos Hernandez rain down some vicious elbows on Denys Bondar after he appeared to be out and in a very vulnerable position.

Valel, however, allowed Bondar to absorb the strikes, even though it looked like the fighter had been knocked out.

Check out the clip here:

As can be seen from the clip, the referee jumps in a bit late, and fans took to Twitter to express their frustration and call out the UFC official.

@Anonymous8o8 tweeted:

"Man was KO soon as he hit the canvas and ate 7 elbows while unconscious"

User @bensparham_ said:

"Ref needs to be fired and never work in combat sports again"

@SmackDabTrader tweeted:

"That Ref forgot he was on the clock"

@jackwillsend said:

"Damn someone should stop th-... oh sh*t!”

@pepliquidity said:

"Ref needs to be put on his back and elbowed 17 times in the face"

Some fans also acknowledged that while the UFC referee was mostly at fault, some blame had to go to Carlos Hernandez as well.

@tchad_86 said:

"Even if the referee has to stop the fight well beforehand, it's also up to the fighter to use his judgement. He can see that he doesn't need to throw his elbows repeatedly...."

@collide_z also agreed, stating:

"Also complete lack of fairness by some fighter is a shame for any sport"

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Despite UFC referee controversy, UFC Vegas 75 had some incredible fights and finishes

The late stoppage from UFC referee Jerin Valel was the low point of what was, otherwise, a fantastic Fight Night card. In the main event, Jared Cannonier put the pace on Marvin Vettori, securing a unanimous decision victory in what was a bloody and violent affair.

Earlier in the main card, rising prospects Arman Tsarukyan and Manuel Torres both proved to be serious threats to consider in the 155-pound weight class. Tsarukyan finished his opponent, Joaquim Silva, with some vicious ground-and-pound. Meanwhile, Torres made his mark on the card in style, securing a highlight-reel finish over Nikolas Motta.