Mario Yamasaki Reacts To Critics Of Late Travis Browne Stoppage
Rising heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis scored an impressive come-from-behind TKO victory over Travis Browne in the main event of UFC Fight Night 105 this past weekend (Sun., Feb 19, 2017) from Halifax, Canada.
Much of the attention, however, was put on the job of referee Mario Yamasaki, as many felt as if the stoppage was considerably late. Yamaski recently responded to his critics and explained his side of the situation:
“Right in the moment, I already knew that I allowed two extra punches,” Yamasaki told MMA Fighting, “but the reaction time from a heavyweight is different than a lighter fighter. So when (Lewis) landed the punch where (Browne) went out, he was able to land two more before I came in to stop the fight. But, for sure, I should have stopped it a little earlier. Everyone has his days, and I can’t give excuses.”
Admitting he made a mistake, Yamasaki said ‘there’s no excuse’ for the late stoppage, although he also said that he wanted to give Browne a chance to regain his mojo:
“It’s hard to please everyone,” Yamasaki said of the debate between early and late stoppages. “I try to be as consistent as possible, but sometimes you can’t. I wanted to give him another chance because early in the fight he was getting knocked out standing and he said ‘I’m fine, I’m fine,’ and I saw that he was trying to defend himself so I let him continue, and on the ground, it went a little longer.
“I’m sure that Browne likes that we let the fight go on a little longer so he has a chance to come back,” he continued. “No fighter likes early stoppages, but it happens. There’s no excuse. I know I should have stopped it earlier, but it was so fast I couldn’t stop it.”
What do you make of Yamasaki’s explanation?
