Det debatteras flitigt angående det kontroversiella stoppet som avgjorde matchen mellan Ben Askren och Robbie Lawler där den tidigare vann genom submission (bulldog choke). Folk är oeniga om domaren bröt för tidigt och om Lawler verkligen stryptes medvetslös. När det kommer till Nevadas Atletiska Råd (NSAC) som ansvarade för matchen var det dock solklart.
NSAC:s ordförande Bob Bennet berättade för samlad media vad som får honom att hålla med om domaren Herb Deans beslut att bryta matchen och ge segern till Akren. Han sade följande vid post-fight presskonferensen för helgens UFC 235:
On the bulldog choke on Robbie, you could see it right in front of us that when Herb picked up his hand, his hand just dropped. It just dropped, which could be indicative of him being out. And then he went ahead and grabbed his hand again, and it came up a little and it moved ever so slightly.
There was no doubt in our mind that he was out.
Nevada är en av de förenta staterna som tillämpar direktrepriser i sin bedömning under matcherna som hade gett Dean möjligheten att kolla händelsen en gång till. Bennet anser dock att det inte var nödvändigt för detta fall:
In that particular instance, no we didn’t need instant replay. Herb didn’t ask for it, nor did I think we needed it because it was right in front of me. And when you take a look at his arm, it was a like a no-brainer.
Could he have come back shortly after and oxygen got back to the brain? That he was out and all of a sudden he came back? Sure, but when you see that arm just drop, it’s just not worth it for us (and) for the fighter.
UFC:s VD Dana White höll dock verkligen inte med Bennet när han träffade media:
Bad stoppage. We had a debate, me the referee, and the commission over being choked out. I’ve been choked out many times before, too. And one of the things you don’t do is jump right up and say ‘What the f—k did you just do?’ Never happens that way.
It was a bad stoppage, it happens. What are you gonna do?
Ni kan se Bennets utlåtande nedan:
