"I do have sympathy" - MMA veteran explains why UFC referees sometimes feel obligated to call controversial early stoppages

Complaints about UFC referees have seemingly become more common and more vocal as nearly every fight card leaves fans unpleased with a decision, one way or another. Following the controversial stoppage of the UFC 295 light heavyweight title bout between Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira in the second round, UFC veteran Matt Brown explained how early stoppages are sometimes called.

Speaking on The Fighter vs. The Writer, 'The Immortal' stated:

"This is what we do for a living, give the guy a chance. We’ve seen some insane comebacks. To be fair to the referees, it is very subjective. You’ve got a split second to make a decision. So it’s kind of hard to compare one fight to another."

Brown continued:

"Marc Goddard isn’t known for doing that so I do have sympathy for the referees and the position that they’re in. It’s a difficult situation, especially when I’m sure that the refs learn about concussions and brain health and things like that, and that makes it complicated when you know this could affect the guy for the rest of his life negatively, but also if you stop it too soon." [h/t MMA Fighting]

Check out the full episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer below:

While many believed that the bout was stopped prematurely, Jiri Prochazka claimed it was a fair stoppage. Brown, however, cited the humility of the former light heavyweight champion as the reason for that, noting that 'Denisa' likely would have said the same under any scenario.

Alex Pereira, who became the fastest fighter in promotional history to claim titles in two weight classes, noted that he believed the stoppage was not early.

---

UFC Fight Night 232 was not without controversy from referees

UFC Fight Night 232 took place this past weekend and, similar to many cards, faced controversy due to a premature stoppage. Trey Ogden appeared en route to a victory over Nikolas Motta, as he was in control for much of the fight. He caught his opponent in a triangle choke in the third round, leading veteran referee Mike Beltran to stop the bout, thinking that the latter had been choked to sleep.

Motta, however, did not go to sleep or tap out and quickly protested the ruling, leading the bout to be ruled a no contest. Ogden has protested that he should receive his win bonus for the bout. However, it is unclear if the UFC will award him the payout.