"The equivalent of tapping out" - Brendan Schaub explains what action from Jairzinho Rozenstruik justified stoppage against Alexander Volkov
Brendan Schaub didn't see any controversy in Alexander Volkov's first-round TKO win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik. While many deemed it an early stoppage from Herb Dean, Schaub pointed out an action that justified calling a halt to the bout.
According to Schaub, the fact that 'Bigi Boy' turned his back on a dangerous striker like Volkov was enough for the referee to step in. The former UFC heavyweight believes turning one's back in a stand-up exchange is the same as tapping out during a grappling exchange. The TUF alum recently said on The Schaub Show:
"And this is my case for it not being and early stoppage: When you completely turn your back on another savage, who's ranked [unsure] five in the world - six in the world. When you turn your back on this Russian who's very good at throwing kicks, elbows and everything, the whole gamut. When you turn your back into defensive posture and you're not answering back, and you are wobbled on sixth street... I mean what do you want, get a walk off KO headkick?"
To sum up his point, 'Big Brown' said:
"Turning your back while you are in a stand-up brawl would be the equivalent of tapping out during submission."
Watch the latest edition of The Schaub Show below:
Alexander Volkov and Jairzinho Rozenstruik squared off in the main event of UFC Vegas 56 this past weekend. 'Bigi Boy' initially caught the Russian with a heavy left hand and exploded with a flurry, looking for the knockout blow. 'Drago' used his height advantage to defuse the power of Rozenstruik's shots and hurt him with a flush right hand soon after.
'Bigi Boy' folded to the canvas as Volkov unleased a barrage of punches. Although Rozenstruik managed to get back on his feet, his back was exposed to 'Drago' when Herb Dean stepped in.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik details his version of the knockout
Jairzinho Rozenstruik erupted in protest immediately after Herb Dean called a halt to his heavyweight clash against Alexander Volkov. In a subsequent statement, 'Bigi Boy' claimed that the final sequence of the fight was fairly common and didn't warrant a stoppage.
Rozenstruik expressed disappointment with referee Herb Dean's decision and claimed he was far from giving up. The Surinamese heavyweight also believes a fighter should be lying flat on the ground with his eyes shut for it to be deemed a KO. The 34-year-old wrote on Twitter:
"(1/2) Hi everyone. I'm kinda confused on how the fight went and I'm disappointed that it was stopped. It definitly was a troubling situation, but I was far from giving up the fight. Did someone lay flat on the ground with his eyes shut? That's what we call a knockout. #UFCVegas56"
(1/2) Hi everyone. I'm kinda confused on how the fight went and I'm disappointed that it was stopped. It definitly was a troubling situation, but I was far from giving up the fight. Did someone lay flat on the ground with his eyes shut? That's what we call a knockout. #UFCVegas56
In a subsequent tweet, he highlighted that he didn't sustain any damage in the fight and that he's looking to return to the octagon as soon as possible.
(2/2) Alexander and I basically just started exchanging some heavy strikes. The stuff you 'all wanted to see! Big up to @AlexDragoVolkov for taking the fight. I've no noteable damage and I like to fight soon. #UFCVegas56