UFC: Dana White questions ref, doctor as Derek Brunson TKOs Edmen Shahbazyan – ‘stop the fight or don’t’
- Veteran middleweight Brunson earns big win as Herb Dean steps in early in the final round of UFC Vegas 5 main event
- But UFC president White annoyed by lengthy doctor examination after second round, when Shahbazyan appeared to be knocked out late on
Derek Brunson derailed the hype train surrounding Edmen Shahbazyan in the main event of UFC Vegas 5, handing the 22-year-old his first professional loss with a third-round TKO. But the stoppage probably should have come a bit sooner.
UFC president Dana White vented his frustration in the post-event press conference after a lengthy check on Shahbazyan by the cageside doctor before the final round at the Apex in Las Vegas.
Referee Herb Dean stepped in 26 seconds into the third, but “The Golden Boy” was seemingly knocked out a second or two before the buzzer in the second. Shahbazyan almost fell off his stool and was examined before being allowed to continue, with a big cut above his eye courtesy of Brunson’s devastating ground and pound.
“Shahbazyan looked like he was out at the end of that round,” White said. “I think that the doctor could’ve stopped it. The doctor’s obviously inexperienced, I haven’t seen him before [in the UFC]. You’ve got Brunson who ends that round strong – many would argue it could’ve been stopped right there.
“What you don’t do is talk to the guy for f****** 10 mins while he’s hurt. Either stop the fight or let him continue, but go. You’re letting the kid recover while you’ve got Brunson, who just did that work, who’s waiting for the bell to ring so he can go finish the fight. Pull the trigger one way or the other. Stop the fight or don’t.
Shahbazyan – a protégé of Ronda Rousey under Edmond Tarverdyan – talked before the fight of wanting to crush Jon Jones’ record and become the youngest UFC champ in history. But the No 9 middleweight was given something of a reality check by No 8 Brunson, who can no longer be considered a gatekeeper in the UFC middleweight division.
“This fight was hard. All the people doubting me on social media. I had so much support – way more than the negative. I’m 3-0 with Sanford MMA and Henri Hooft,” Brunson said after the fight. “Ever since I’ve gone down there, he’s believed in me. He’s always said, ‘You’re not a gatekeeper. Show these guys you’ve got it’.”
Brunson’s performance earned high praise from champion Israel Adesanya, who beat the 36-year-old American by first-round TKO in November 2018 during his quick rise to superstardom. It was that defeat which prompted Brunson to seek Hooft’s help in Florida.
“Nice one Brunson,” Adesanya wrote. “Really showed your level of experience in this fight. Enjoy your time with your kids.”
White was also impressed by Brunson, whose only other defeats in the UFC have come against Anderson Silva, Robert Whittaker, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Yoel Romero.
“He looked awesome, he came in against a young up-and-coming savage that wanted to be the youngest champion ever and he did what he needed to do tonight, it looked good,” White said. “He’s had some ups and downs in his career. Tonight he came in prepared and fought the way he needed to fight. He’s in great shape, kept the pressure on him, used his experience, and used his wrestling the way he used to when he first came into the UFC.
“Everybody knew, no matter what the odds said, he’s [Shahbazyan] going in against an experienced guy,” White added. “Brunson’s fought everybody, Shahbazyan hasn’t. This is where you find out where a guy’s at, you put him in against a guy like Derek Brunson.”
