Referee should've let Jalin Turner punch Bobby Green for "five more minutes", claims Arman Tsarukyan
Arman Tsarukyan recently weighed in on Jalin Turner's controversial stoppage victory over Bobby Green and suggested that the referee should've waited a little longer than he did.
Green went up against Turner in the co-main event of UFC Austin last weekend. Despite accepting the fight on short notice, 'The Tarantula' put on an impressive performance and secured a first-round knockout win. Turner dropped Green with a hard right hand in the opening minutes of the fight before unloading a barrage of brutal unanswered shots for more than ten seconds before the referee jumped in.
Due to the referee's late response, the MMA community widely criticized the stoppage, with Dana White even calling it one of the "worst" he'd ever seen. However, it seems Arman Tsarukyan isn't bothered. It's no secret that there's no love lost between Bobby Green and the mercurial Georgian-born Russian fighter.
Last week, a heated confrontation between Tsarukyan and Green at the fighter hotel turned violent, which led to another altercation between their teams later that same day. The bad blood between them seemingly stems from some disparaging comments Green made about 'Akhalkalakets' in the lead-up to UFC Austin.
In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Arman Tsarukyan reacted to Bobby Green getting knocked out and said:
"No. No, no — the referee let them punch more. He should stop maybe five more minutes. Let him be. It was good. I was happy. You can see when the fight was like that, I was so happy when I went to the cage."
UFC late stoppage: Dana White reacts to Jalin Turner vs. Bobby Green knockout
Dana White minced no words when asked about the referee's decision-making during the Jalin Turner vs. Bobby Green fight at UFC Austin last weekend. The referee, Kerry Hatley, was scrutinized for what many thought was an egregiously late stoppage for Turner's first-round knockout victory.
As mentioned, Hatley simply allowed Turner to land shot after shot on a downed Green for over ten seconds before intervening. Hatley's delayed stoppage was widely criticized for being unprofessional and dangerous to a fighter's health.
In a post-fight presser, the UFC CEO was asked for his opinions on the Jalin Turner vs. Bobby Green stoppage. He replied:
"One of the worst I’ve ever seen... The difference is we’ve had some refs say some dumb s**t in the past, like, ‘Oh, I allowed her to be a warrior tonight,’ and goofy s**t like that. He [Hatley] knows that he made a mistake tonight, and he does not feel good about it. So it’s unfortunate."