ABU DHABI – [autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]’s latest UFC win ended with controversy, but not the type that had anyone questioning his victory.
The Brazilian veteran scored a TKO win over former Cage Warriors champion Jai Herbert at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 14 event at Flash Forum in Yas Island. The stoppage came at the 1:30 mark of round three, but many think it could’ve been a little bit sooner, questioning referee Herb Dean’s decision to not wave off the fight after the initial knockdown.
After winning the first round on all scorecards and dropping the second, including one 10-8 card, Trinaldo (26-7 MMA, 16-6 UFC) connected with an overhand left in the third dropping Herbert to the canvas. Although Herbert didn’t seem 100 percent knocked out, he certainly seemed hurt and looked out of the contest. Trinaldo then hovered over Herbert for a moment hoping the referee would waive off the fight.
But with no intervention, Trinaldo was forced to follow up with extra shots that many, including commentators and UFC veterans Dan Hardy and Paul Felder, considered unnecessary.
“Massaranduba” thinks the fight could’ve been called off sooner, but at the end of the day, he says he only has one job.
“It could’ve been stopped earlier, but I’m a fighter, not a referee,” Trinaldo told reporters at the post-fight press conference. “I go there to do my job and the referee is the one in charge. I saw and stopped a little bit and waited, but the referee didn’t stop the fight so I continued on. The referee is in charge.”
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Regardless, Trinaldo is happy to pick up a victory and extend his current run to three straight wins. The Brazilian, who missed weight by four pounds for his UFC on ESPN 14 bout, will now look to start fresh a weight class above.
Trinaldo wants to test the waters at welterweight and do it against a fellow veteran.
“‘Ive thought about it before and I really want to fight Diego Sanchez,” Trinaldo explained. “I’ve been watching him fight for a long time, I have a training partner who faced him back in the day and it really made me train even harder. I think it’s a fight where the fans are really going to be the ones winning and it’s just a fight I really want to have in the UFC. He’s also a veteran like me.”
At age 41, Trinaldo is one of the oldest fighters on the UFC roster, but he’s not stopping any time soon. The Brazilian feels a move up to 170 pounds could keep him in the game another five years.
“I think a fighter needs to fight for as long as he has that desire and that want to fight,” Trinaldo said. “If he doesn’t feel like he no longer has that passion, then he should stop fighting. I really have that desire, this is what I do best. And if one day I don’t feel like doing this anymore, I’ll just set up a hammock under a tree and just chill out.”
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