Controversy Report: UFC Abu Dhabi

UFC Abu Dhabi: Controversy Report

The modern day legacy of the unorthodox middleweight fighter continues following Reinier De Ridder’s split-decision win over former champion Robert Whittaker. A close, contested bout with many online pundits judging the fight in favor of both men, some claiming De Ridder had a comfortable decision while others were shocked with Whittaker’s defeat, judging it as impossible.

In addition to this occasional controversial decision, Referee Jason Herzog also held an antagonist role, as we saw the all time UFC record for most knockdowns in a single fight take place, all under his vigilance. Steven Nguyen now holds the record for the most knockdowns in a single fight, over Mohammad Yahya, who valiantly did not give up. 

Steven Nguyen defeats Mohammad Yahya

• Rd. 2 TKO (Eye Injury)

Official Knockdowns capped what was the UFC record for most knockdowns in a fight. In even more impressive fashion, this all happened within two rounds with the UFC not counting several knockdowns that could even increase the number of knockdowns to 8 or 9. Regardless, the biggest criticism has been towards referee Jason Herzog, as he was too hesitant to stop the fight, allowing Yahya to receive more damage than it was actually needed. It was specifically frustrating for fans that only two weeks ago, saw Herzog stop Tallison Teixeira far too early, when he was clearly recovering from the strikes of Derrick Lewis. 

Nguyen  landed 5 Official Knockdowns within the first round, with some of these knockdowns being more than qualified for a stoppage. These included knockdowns that saw his body bounce around the canvas like an old used ping-pong ball. A lot of the hesitancy was Yahya’s inability to not go out cold. Even during the interval of Round 1 and 2, Yahya was stumbling, almost struggling to find his corner. That should also serve as some consideration for interrupting the fight and calling it off. 

In my opinion, Yahya did start the second round well, though the harm done was unnecessary in a fight that was very difficult seeing it go a completely different way. Yahya, to his credit, is durable and has the fighting spirit and luckily had no bone fracture from the swelling to the eye. That doesn’t mean we won’t see permanent damage present itself in other ways in the future. Another source of criticism is the consistency here. Herzog was also involved in Imavov’s premature stoppage over Jared Cannonier. 

Transparency is needed and referees should be held accountable for their decisions with post fight interviews and statements. This way, athletes, fans and coaches can truly comprehend the decision to allow a fighter to continue or to stop a fight. Of course, MMA is not a clear cut sport and a lot of decisions are simply determined on a case by case basis, but all we ask for is more transparency and clarity when applying the ruleset. 

Reinier de Ridder defeats Robert Whittaker

• Split Decision (48-47 x 2, 47-48)

UFC Abu Dhabi was capped off by a beautiful war between Reinier de Ridder and Robert Whittaker. At this point, RDR is slowly becoming one of the best male prospects from other organizations making their transition into the UFC. In a little under 8 months, RDR has gone from fighting at the UFC Apex to taking undefeated records and beating former champions in a 5 Round Main Event. 

This was undeniably the toughest fight of his career, closing in as an underdog and with many considering Whittaker’s win undeniable and the fight being a simple formality. Breaking down the rounds, we can see that this fight wasn’t controversial, though it was in fact, quite close. As always, MMA is one of the sports that makes it hard for fans to look at fights with complete lack of bias. 

Round 1, RDR Fans were nervous. Whittaker stuffed all takedowns and clinch attempts while styling from the range. Whittaker landed 20 significant strikes against the 15 of Reinier De Ridder. All three judges were in accordance with this one. An easy, simple round to score. Whittaker nullified RDR’s attempts while landing more and at a higher accuracy. 

The second round became far more interesting. RDR outlanded Whittaker 16 to 8, introducing the knees, which have now become a staple of his game since the Bo Nickal KO win. In addition, the takedowns and wrestling were successful, with 2 minutes of control time and overall more damaging shots. Again, all three judges were in agreement here, awarding this for the Dutch. 

Round 3 was perhaps the most action packed round, where both fighters were in actual danger at moments with serious fight finishing sequences happening one after the other. DeRidder started the round aggressively, landing good knees in the clinch, gathering some control times, and doing amazingly well with the forward knees. It was those same knees that ultimately led Whittaker to land a beautiful overhand, knocking down RDR. Despite his attempts to finish the fight, RDR did well enough to survive and to see a 4th round. Again, another unanimous round for Robert Whittaker, giving him the lead.

At this point, it was clear both men were suffering from exhaustion. At this time, the pace had reduced. Official stats showed RDR outlanding Whittaker 14 to 6, all the while gathering 2 minutes of control against the cage, which is one of the biggest criticisms from fans. The truth is, the damage was on the end of RDR. While it is true Whittaker did defend all takedowns this round, he did get controlled against the clinch without damaging RDR enough to justify overpowering the control time. It is true damage trumps control, though if damage is similar, control takes the wheel. In this case, referee Mike Bell was the sole judge awarding Whittaker this round, with the other two judges awarding it to RDR. While close, I do believe the two judges, Ben Cartlidge and David Lethaby were correct. 

Finally, it all came down to Round 5. At this point, no fighter could be ultra confident in their lead. In their minds, it was anyone’s fight and truth be told, the gas tanks were almost non-existent at this point. It gets interesting because it was again another close round, though at this point, the strikes favored Whittaker, though barely. A mere difference of two significant strikes in favor of the Aussie. In terms of control, RDR had 2 minutes. With similar damage numbers, judging now analyzes control, and there really wasn’t any debate on who had more control. 

Close fights always generate debate, though it’s important to be able to differentiate between close bouts and outstanding robberies. While this was close, I do believe RDR was the correct winner, which is always tough when talking about fan favorites like Robert Whittaker. 

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