Late stoppages are one of the worst things that can happen in MMA.
A referee is tasked with the responsibility of protecting the fighters by recognizing the appropriate time to stop a contest when a competitor is no longer intelligently defending themself. When a referee fails at that duty, a competitor could be seriously hurt due to unnecessary damage.
That’s exactly what happened when referee Kerry Hatley was late to stop the onslaught of offense by [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag] on Bobby Green at UFC on ESPN 52.
Turner badly rocked Green on the feet, and then unloaded a number of unanswered strikes on Green as he followed him to the ground. Green was out and facedown on the canvas, still receiving stikes while Hatley watched on.
The stoppage eventually came, but the timing immediately drew criticism. Hatley himself recognized the error while still inside the cage, but the damage was done.
How should Hatley be held accountable for the late stoppage?
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Our “Spinning Back Clique” panelists Dan Tom, Matthew Wells, and Brian “Goze” Garcia discuss the situation with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.
Check out their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss the most recent entire episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube or in podcast form.