"A knockdown is not a knockout! " Henry Cejudo thinks fighters need to have a chance to fight back at UFC Paris after fighter faceplants.
Henry Cejudo expressed his reproval over the refereeing at UFC Fight Night Paris. His tweet came moments after Roman Kopylov finished Alessio Di Chirico in the third round with an incredible faceplant finish.
Bodykicks were Kopylov's staple in this fight as he invested early in the mid-section to wear out his opponent. This forced Di Chirico to shell up and defend the body shots as his torso accumulated damage. This left the chin open, and Kopylov capitalized on it with a beautiful combination that ended with his opponent collapsing face first into the canvas.
Roman Kopylov faceplants Alessio Di Chirico with a stunning boxing combination. Keep those hands up dude #UFCParis https://t.co/dhjKEoiMXA
Former UFC double champion Henry Cejudo deemed it an early stoppage and reproaced it on Twitter by stating that a knockdown is not a knockout:
''Is it me or do all these referees now days stop fights due to knockdowns? Give these guys a opportunity to fight back. A knockdown is not a knockout! @JohnMcCarthyMMA?''
Is it me or do all these referees now days stop fights due to knockdowns? Give these guys a opportunity to fight back. A knockdown is not a knockout! @JohnMcCarthyMMA ?
However, many fans felt that the fight was correctly stopped and disagreed with Henry Cejudo.
Fans bring up Dominick Cruz fight while reacting to Henry Cejudo's claim that fighters need to have the opportunity to fight back at UFC Paris
Former flyweight and bantamweight champion of the UFC, Henry Cejudo, has emerged as one of the sharpest minds in the game recently. He is often seen training alongside some of the biggest names in the sport and sharing his knowledge.
Cejudo wasn't impressed by the refereeing at UFC Paris, and urged that the fighters be given an opportunity to fight back. His tweet was met with polarizing reactions from MMA fans.
@fau1in sided with 'The Messenger', and stated that young fighters must be handed an opportunity to fight through a knockdown:
''It’s not you. It’s hurting the sport. These young guys need a chance to fight through a knockdown. It affects their career / potential $ if they come back to win.''
@HenryCejudo @JohnMcCarthyMMA It’s not you. It’s hurting the sport. These young guys need a chance to fight through a knockdown. It affects their career / potential $ if they come back to win.
@bruinsfan87 called Cejudo a hypocrite while referring to his victories over TJ Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz:
''But you were perfectly fine with the stoppages against TJ and Cruz? Hypocrisy at its finest.''
@HenryCejudo @JohnMcCarthyMMA But you were perfectly fine with the stoppages against TJ and Cruz? Hypocrisy at its finest.
Another fan wrote:
''He fell down face first. You call that early?''
@HenryCejudo @JohnMcCarthyMMA He fell down face first. You call that early?
Here are some of the best fan reactions below:
@HenryCejudo @JohnMcCarthyMMA If he’s so out of it that he’s gonna take 4/5 unnecessary shots that could really affect him long term then I’d rather it gets stopped, it’s a sport at the end of the day, and these guys have families, you would know given who you are
@HenryCejudo @JohnMcCarthyMMA Dominik Cruz reading this tweet and getting heated
@HenryCejudo @JohnMcCarthyMMA I prefer the early stoppage era off MMA than the "if he dies he dies" era.
@HenryCejudo @JohnMcCarthyMMA Then you wouldn’t have gotten your w against @DominickCruz
@HenryCejudo @JohnMcCarthyMMA So you pretty much admit your win against Dominik wasn't fair 🤷♀️
@HenryCejudo @JohnMcCarthyMMA Bro faceplanted what are you referring to?