UAE’s Mohammad Yahya was all set to prove his might in front of his home crowd as he took on Steven Nguyen in the second fight of the UFC Fight Night: Abu Dhabi prelims. Both fighters delivered an absolute barn burner, keeping the fans thoroughly entertained. However, while the crowd loved the action, their feelings toward the officials were a whole different story. 

Right from the opening bell, Texas’s hot prospect looked sharp with his hands. And soon, Nguyen proved he was indeed the better striker, scoring six knockdowns on Yahya, a new UFC record. But that wasn’t all. ‘The Ninja’ also left Yahya with a massive hematoma under his eye, forcing the fight to end on the stool after the second round via doctor stoppage. The fight was entertaining, no doubt, but it also raised a serious question.  

Nguyen knocked down Yahya multiple times in the first round and followed up with some brutal ground-and-pound that nearly ended the fight. However, referee Jason Herzog chose to let the action continue, forcing the ‘UAE warrior’ to take more punishment than necessary. That decision didn’t sit well with the fans watching the bout, and even the commentators seemed uncomfortable with how it played out. 

Michael Bisping, who is on commentary duty tonight, didn’t hold back; he was vocal about the referee’s failure to stop the fight sooner. And it seems the MMA world agrees with him. Fans, fighters, and pundits alike had a lot to say about Jason Herzog allowing the bout to continue even after Nguyen had clearly sealed the deal. So, let’s take a look at how the MMA community reacted to the controversial call.

Referring error call heats up after brutal doctor stoppage loss at Abu Dhabi

One user didn’t waste any time, commenting, “This fight HAS TO Be STOPPED. That eye is awful.” And honestly, they had a point. Yahya’s eye was so swollen it’s hard to imagine he could even see the strikes coming, it could’ve made things a whole lot worse for him.

Another fan chimed in, “How the f—k did Herzog not just stop that? 6 knockdowns. We better see some 10-7s.” The user echoed what Michael Bisping pointed out, the fight was clearly stretched longer than it should have been. And they weren’t wrong about the score either. With six knockdowns in a single round, Nguyen might’ve earned himself a rare 10-7, a score typically reserved for total domination in a single round. 

Another user echoed that sentiment, writing, “Yahya’s corner & Jason Herzog are not doing their jobs. Man’s been knocked down 6 times.” This time, the frustration wasn’t just aimed at the referee, Yahya’s corner also came under fire. After all, they had the power to throw in the towel and protect their fighter. Maybe they got hopeful after the UAE hero scored a knockdown of his own and thought he could turn things around. But in the end, the damage was too much, and the fight was finally waved off via the doctor’s stoppage. 

Then there was this brutally sarcastic comment, “He looks good, half his face is a hematoma.” Honestly, it’s hard not to draw comparisons between Yahya’s swelling and the infamous hematoma Joanna Jędrzejczyk suffered during her war with Weili Zhang at UFC 248.

That said, do you think the fight should’ve been stopped earlier in the first round, when knockdowns were piling up one after another? Or did the referee make the right call by letting it continue? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!