UFC play-by-play broadcaster Jon Anik was incensed watching a record six knockdowns in a single fight at UFC Abu Dhabi.
UFC Abu Dhabi featured wild knockouts, the coronation of a new middleweight star, and slick submissions throughout the night. But one of the main talking points from the event is focused on a featherweight bout between Steven Nguyen and Mohammad Yahya.
Nguyen notched a UFC record six knockdowns on Yahya before referee Jason Herzog waved off the fight just before Round 3 was supposed to begin. Yahya suffered a nasty, swollen eye in the loss, leading many to criticize Herzog for letting the fight play out as long as it did.
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Jon Anik weighs in on UFC Abu Dhabi stoppage controversy
UFC fans didn’t hold back on social media as Yahya’s injury went viral. Watching from home, Jon Anik was perplexed by the late stoppage at UFC Abu Dhabi.
During a recent episode of The Anik & Florian Podcast, Anik said the UFC Abu Dhabi controversy highlights one of the UFC’s potential flaws.
“What are we doing in the form of fighter safety?” Anik said. “Maybe I should call my friend Jason Herzog, who I really do love, ‘Hey Jason, it’s Jon. Can you do a me a favor and just stop the fight?’ There’s a lot to unpack here. … Jason Herzog was the referee for [Daniel] Zellhuber and [Esteban] Ribovics and if you hear nothing else I say today, I don’t know if I was suggestive on the broadcast that that fight should have been stopped at one point in time, but I thought Zellhuber should have sort of been saved to maybe live to fight another day, and the result was that Herzog rather masterfully let the fight play out and the result was the Fight of the Year.
“But my thesis always is what are we doing in the form of fighter safety? The ends don’t justify the means if there’s a rally and a Fight of the Year ensues. Just because Mohammad Yahya doesn’t have an orbital fracture doesn’t mean that heretofore he’s not going to pay dearly for this.” (h/t MMA Fighting)
Luckily, Yahya received a relatively clean health bill after his loss at UFC Abu Dhabi. Yahya didn’t suffer any facial fractures in the fight, and CT scans came back negative.
Nguyen’s stunning performance was an afterthought following the late stoppage of his fight with Yahya. The former Dana White’s Contender Series alum earned his first UFC victory following a debut loss to Jarno Errens in March 2024.
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Shara Magomedov went under the knife immediately after UFC Abu Dhabi
UFC middleweight star Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov also left the Octagon with a nasty injury after his fight. Magomedov defeated Marc-Andre Barriault, but left the cage with a broken nose that he had operated on immediately following the event.
Magomedov’s surgery was successful, and the talented striker isn’t expected to miss much time as he plots his MMA comeback. He bounced back following his first-career loss to Michael ‘Venom’ Page earlier this year.
UFC Abu Dhabi was capped off by Reinier de Ridder defeating former champion Robert Whittaker by split decision.