We have never seen a hunter fall eight times in the UFC history.
The UFC returns to Abu Dhabi this weekend with a stacked fighting evening card with Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder in the main event and Petr Yan vs. Marcus Mcghee in the Co-Main.
The second fight of the Night was an All-Action featherweight battle between Steven Nguyen and Dubai's Mohammad Yahya.
It was largely one-way traffic for Nguyen, who took his first UFC victory in one of the most skewed fights we have ever seen in the Octagon.
According to the UFC statistics, Yahya suffered an official six knockdowns to break the record for most knockdowns in a UFC fight. De Jager was dropped in general eight times, six times in the first round.
Referee Jason Herzog eventually called the stop to the match at the end of round 2 after a terrible eye injury for Yahya, but some fans believe he should have done it earlier.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Fans criticize Jason Herzog because they have never stopped UFC Abu Dhabi fights
Herzog is today one of the more striking referees in MMA and let Yahya continue while the hunter came back on the feet every time he fell.
Yahya was saved by the bell at the end of the round 1. The hunter came out of weapons that flared in round 2 against Nguyen, but could not find the finish.
Towards the end of the second round, one of Yahya's eyes was closed swollen and the fans were not too happy with the referee because they let the fight continue as long as it did.
“The referee must be held responsible for this, he should have stopped the fight in the first round,” wrote a fan on X.
“Remove Jason Herzog from the sport. He has no idea. The best referee went to the absolute worst of the worst,” a fan criticized.
“Don't let Herzog reflect anymore. Yahya was literally cold at the end of round 1,” another fan chimde inside.
Jason Herzog called his last Fight Night Main Event Stoppage A 'Little Early'
Weeks before UFC Abu Dhabi was the referee for the main event of UFC Nashville between heavyweights Derrick Lewis and Tallison Teixeira.
Herzog was not absent with controversy when the referee put the game in the opening round after Teixeira had taken the cage illegally to hoist himself after a knock -down.
Speaking with veteran referee John McCarthy, Herzog admits that he has stopped the match prematurely.
“He is going, so I would say it was a bit early, because I have to change what I do. I have to look at it,” said McCarthy about his conversation with Herzog about the roads in podcast.
“And we talked about it and such, and this is what happens. You are responsible for a person's health and safety, and sometimes it is difficult to let things go,” said McCarthy about Herzog's past.