Israel Adesanya was hard done by UFC 281 stoppage, claims UFC middleweight
Chris Curtis is of the opinion that Israel Adesanya was wronged by the stoppage during his fight against Alex Pereira. Pereira unexpectedly defeated Adesanya via knockout during the fifth round, after the Nigerian-born Kiwi dominated the early rounds and made it look like a decision win was coming.
The No.14-ranked UFC middleweight recently spoke to Helen Yee. When asked for his thoughts on the stoppage, Curtis made it clear that he does not agree with it:
"I didn't like the stoppage. I understand protecting the fighter. It's the last round of a five-round title fight and the champion is arguably winning the fight. Yeah, we're worried about damage, but people go to sleep on every fight card. Let him get knocked the f**k out. Getting knocked out one time isn't going to f***ing ruin his life."
The 35-year-old added that Israel Adesanya should have been allowed to go on against his old kickboxing rival and given a chance to get back into the fight.
Watch Chris Curtis' full interview with Helen Yee below:
Pereira was crowned the new king of the middleweight division after the Brazilian pummeled 'Izzy' with unanswered shots against the cage before the referee, Marc Goddard, stepped in. However, the decision to stop the fight was hotly debated among fans and fighters alike.
Chris Curtis is all set to face Joaquin Buckley at UFC 282 on December 10. 'The Action Man' is coming off a unanimous decision loss against Jack Hermansson at UFC Fight Night 208 back in July.
Eugene Bareman is happy with the stoppage decision in Israel Adesanya's loss against Alex Pereira
Israel Adesanya's long-time coach and founder of City Kickboxing Gym (CKB), Eugene Bareman, thinks that the referee's decision to end the contest in the fifth round of the UFC 281 main event was a good one.
In an interview with Combat TV, Bareman stated:
"I can't sit here and truthfully say that was an early stoppage. I'm happy with the stoppage personally. I thought Israel was in trouble. Of all my experience that I've had in the sport, I saw some signs that he was in trouble. I felt that prolonging the fight for longer than when Marc Goddard stopped it would've ended up not good for Israel's health. I'm happy with the referee's decision."
Watch Eugene Bareman's full interview on Combat TV below:
Israel Adesanya is expected to get his rematch against 'Poatan'. The Nigerian-born Kiwi has now been defeated by Pereira thrice in his combat sports career, with two of the three losses coming in kickboxing. Pereira is also the only man to ever knock out 'The Last Stylebender'.