Referee Jason Herzog was made to perform some defensive maneuvers when dazed UFC light heavyweight Jimi Manuwa began to struggle him.
The UFC 214 Pay-per-View took place on this day, July 29, in 2017. Topping of the line-up was the long-awaited rematch title between Daniel Cormier and Jones, two bitter rivals who had one of the most hardened arguments that the promotion ever saw.
Before their second collision closed the event in the Honda Center of Anaheim, two other prominent light heavyweights opened the main map in the form of the then. 3 Contender Manuwa and the No. 5-ranked Volkan Oezdemir.
Both men had a history of violent knockouts in the Achthoek. With that in mind it was not surprising when a man made contact with the Kill -shot after just 42 seconds. But it was undoubtedly a shock for the hunter at the wrong end of the finish, and Manuwa was not the only man in the cage who got more than he negotiated …
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Jimi Manuwa tried to struggle Jason Herzog after he was hit by Volkan Ozdemir at UFC 214
The assignment to supervise the procedure in the cage when Uzdemir and Manuwa collided at UFC 214 was Jason Herzog, and the veteran official was eventually forced to intervene almost immediately.
After a few hard shots in the clinch that left Manuwa pain, Uzdemir swung and dropped his rival with a left hand. The head of the Englishman bounced from the canvas with a pathogenic flop before a few follow-up shots short Manuwa cold.
While the Swiss competition ran away to celebrate, 'Poster Boy' came quickly, but he was clearly still injured. Manuwa, not aware of what had happened, began to struggle Herzog, forced to defend himself against the hunter.
“Jimi Manuwa thinks he is still fighting,” Rogan said on comment.
Jason Herzog goes through a difficult series of controversial UFC moments
Herzog has since remained an always present among the leading group of MMA officials, but this year the reputation of the veteran referee has seen a hit.
He was criticized for the first time because he had a quick trigger in UFC Nashville earlier in June, where Derrick Lewis Tallison Teixeira finished in the main event. The opposite was the case with an even greater controversy at UFC Abu Dhabi.
During last Saturday's UFC Fight Night in Etihad Arena, Herzog Mohammad Yahya allowed eight knockdowns to suffer, six of which were officially lifted by the UFC to set a new record.
The incident led some people to have a calling to investigate and even shoot because he neglect his responsibility to protect the hunters.