Morning Report: Chael Sonnen theorizes early stoppage in UFC Nashville main event was accidental

Chael Sonnen isn’t positive precisely what he noticed on the finish of UFC Nashville.

This previous Saturday’s UFC Battle Night time occasion got here to an thrilling conclusion when fan favourite Derrick Lewis wanted simply 35 seconds to attain a knockout of the beforehand undefeated Tallison Teixeira. Nevertheless, the end was not with out controversy, as some viewers questioned the timing of the stoppage, which happened with Teixeira seemingly nonetheless defending himself but in addition doing so whereas blatantly grabbing the cage to get well.

On ESPN’s Good Guy / Bad Guy present, Daniel Cormier and Sonnen debated the decision, with Sonnen questioning if referee Jason Herzog meant to pause the competition as oppose to cease the bout outright.

“You’ve bought to observe the ending of that combat pretty carefully to see this, however there’s a clear rule infraction—not as soon as, however twice—with the grabbing of the fence,” Sonnen stated. “Now, it modified the place, it bought him again as much as his ft. I want you to know that, as a result of a variety of instances the referee will let an trade end after which make a ruling. Not in a case like that the place you lose place, the ref should step in proper then, he’ll put Teixeira down, he’ll put ‘The Black Beast’ on prime of him and so they’ll proceed from there.

“The referee takes a backhand and he will get, like, pie-faced, it was all on accident however he stepped into the combination. I don’t assume he meant to name {that a} TKO. I don’t assume he meant to cease the combat. My very own conspiracy, however I consider he was stopping the motion to supply disciplinary one level for the fence seize. Derrick begins celebrating, crowd begins reacting, referee will get bonked, and that nook’s arguing, it had all of the makings of a TKO and my very own perception is they only went with it. How’s that? That’s a sizzling one, however I consider that’s what I noticed. Ridiculous? Is it ridiculous by me? I imply, they known as it an early stoppage and for my part, yeah, as a result of it wasn’t presupposed to be a stoppage, it was a break within the motion.”

Cormier was on cageside commentary duties for the night, so he had an up-close have a look at Lewis’ flurry, Teixeira’s unlawful transfer, and Herzog’s fight-ending intervention. He additionally had an opportunity to talk briefly with Herzog afterwards and he doesn’t assume there was any confusion on the referee’s half.

“Jason Herzog got here to me afterwards, he stated, ‘Early?’ I stated, ‘No,” Cormier stated. “He thought it was early as a result of the man assaulted him, like grabbed him by the fence, get out of right here. Nothing’s scarier for an official, particularly one which’s not that huge, to have a 6-foot-7 Brazilian heavyweight grabbing you by the chin, pissed off since you stopped the combat.

“All the explanations you stated is why I didn’t assume it was early. Jason Herzog, cease the motion, re-do the place. You may’t do this in a ending sequence. You may’t do this. As a result of even when he takes Derrick off, resets them on the bottom, and lets them begin once more, now the man’s a bit off the hook from being completed. So you’ll be able to’t do it in a ending sequence. I believe the one motion was to cease the combat as a result of Teixeira’s not getting up if he doesn’t stick his fingers into the fence, seize it to drag himself up. So [Herzog] couldn’t have completed something greater than cease the combat, so due to that, I agreed with the stoppage.”

To again up his level, Sonnen claimed he skilled the same scenario in his wrestling days when as a substitute of merely being rewarded factors for a profitable throw, the match was led to his favor resulting from confusion over a gesture.

“We’ll by no means know and Herzog is superior and a buddy, I’m simply suggesting that’s what I believed I noticed,” Sonnen stated. “There was once contact falls had been extra frequent and this was the sign the place the referee would maintain his hand up. A five-point throw, the referee type of waved his arm, however he led to the identical place. I threw a man for 5 one time, the referee known as it 5. I nonchalantly stood up, walked to the road, and put my hand up as if he had known as a contact fall.

“The opponent bought up, got here round, shook my hand, and the referee ended the match and known as it a contact fall so I’m solely sharing with you this stuff do occur and once you get backhanded and also you get pie-faced, I believe he stepped in to interrupt the motion for the infraction of a fence seize, I don’t assume he meant to name it.”

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