Referee Jason Herzog was made to execute some defensive maneuvers when dazed UFC light heavyweight Jimi Manuwa began to wrestle him.
The UFC 214 pay-per-view took place on this day, July 29, in 2017. Topping the lineup was the highly anticipated title rematch between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones, two bitter rivals who had one of the most heated feuds that the promotion has ever seen.
Before their second clash closed out the event at Anaheim’s Honda Center, two other prominent light heavyweights opened the main card in the form of the then-No. 3 contender Manuwa and the No. 5-ranked Volkan Oezdemir.
Both men had a history of violent knockouts inside the Octagon. With that in mind, it was not surprising when one man connected with the kill shot after just 42 seconds. But it was no doubt a shock to the fighter on the wrong end of the finish, and Manuwa was not the only man inside the cage who got more than he bargained for…
Jimi Manuwa tried to wrestle Jason Herzog after getting starched by Volkan Oezdemir at UFC 214
Tasked with overseeing proceedings inside the cage when Oezdemir and Manuwa collided at UFC 214 was Jason Herzog, and the veteran official was ultimately forced to intervene almost immediately.
Following a couple of hard shots in the clinch that left Manuwa hurt, Oezdemir swarmed and dropped his rival with a left hand. The Englishman’s head bounced off the canvas with a sickening thud before a couple of follow-up shots briefly put Manuwa out cold.
As the Swiss contender wheeled off to celebrate, ‘Poster Boy’ quickly came to but he was clearly still hurt. Unaware of what had happened, Manuwa began to grapple Herzog, who was forced to defend against the fighter.
“Jimi Manuwa thinks he’s still fighting,” Rogan said on commentary.
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Jason Herzog is enduring a difficult run of controversial UFC moments
Herzog has remained an ever-present among the leading group of MMA officials since, but this year has seen the veteran referee’s reputation take a hit.
He was first criticized for having a quick trigger earlier in June at UFC Nashville, where Derrick Lewis finished Tallison Teixeira in the main event. The opposite was the case in an even bigger controversy at UFC Abu Dhabi.
At this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night at Etihad Arena, Herzog allowed Mohammad Yahya to suffer eight knockdowns, six of which were officially tallied by the UFC to set a new record.
The incident led some to call for Herzog to be investigated and even fired for allegedly neglecting his responsibility to protect the fighters.