Manuel Torres scored the most important win of his profession at UFC Mexico, however the end was not with out controversy.
It wasn’t a query of whether or not Torres deserved his first-round knockout win over Drew Dober, as Torres had Dober badly harm with a proper hand and made positive to seal the take care of a sequence of thudding hammer fists. However the timing of the stoppage precipitated some criticism to be directed at referee Mike Beltran.
UFC light-weight Renato Moicano commented on social media, “If he dies, he dies,” referencing the notorious Rocky 4 scene the place Apollo Creed is killed in a struggle by Ivan Drago.
On the night’s post-fight press convention, Torres was requested in regards to the controversy.
“When you have a look at the replay, watching the referee, like, I’m making a number of injury to my opponent, however he didn’t cease the struggle, so I’m an expert, so I hold doing it,” Torres stated through a Spanish translator. “However yeah, after all I really feel that my opponent, he was slightly down even earlier than the stoppage.”
Although Torres acknowledged he felt the bout might have been stopped earlier, he additionally identified that Beltran might have had the misfortune of being able the place he couldn’t correctly assess Dober’s situation. The closing sequence noticed Torres battering Dober with unprotected hammer fists, with Dober’s face solely partially seen as he held on to Torres’ leg.
Nonetheless, it appeared there was greater than sufficient visually for Beltran to name the struggle. Torres doesn’t fault him for the error.
“Simply in sure positions, that may occur,” Torres stated. “On this one, after all, Drew Dober was wanting down, so for the referee it was arduous to observe if he was out or no. However yeah, I feel that they might work slightly bit on that form of factor, however he was simply in a extremely particular place.”
Apart from to maintain preventing, Torres had little management over the stoppage, which was adopted by Dober getting again to his ft and squaring up, seemingly oblivious to the bout being over.
Regardless, Torres has put himself into place for a much bigger alternative with 4 wins and 4 bonuses in his first 5 UFC appearances, and he hopes to be booked for the newly introduced UFC 320 occasion set to happen in Guadalajara, Mexico.
“UFC simply introduced Mexican card on Sept. 13, so after all I wish to be a part of that occasion,” Torres stated. “I really feel that I do a number of issues within the identify of Mexico and for positive I wish to struggle in Mexico once more. With a prime 15 fighter, with a prime 15 opponent.”
