An impressive early stoppage by Jalin Turner in the UFC on ESPN 52 co-main event may have been overshadowed by the lack of stoppage by the presiding referee.
The controversially late stoppage Saturday from referee Kerry Hatley came at 2:49 of Round 1 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
Turner (14-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) initially wobbled Green (31-15-1 MMA, 12-10-1 UFC) with an overhand right. He repeated the strike and dropped Green, who turned belly down. Turner landed 19 consecutive, unanswered punches before the referee stopped it. Green was visibly unconscious by the 17th strike, but two more hard ones finally triggered the referee’s reaction.
The stoppage was viewed as egregious by many in the MMA community, including the commentary team of Brendan Fitzgerald, Daniel Cormier, and Michael Bisping.
Eventually, Green rose to his feet under his own power, though still visibly staggered by the damage absorbed.
TURNER FINISHES GREEN IN ROUND 1 #UFCAUSTIN pic.twitter.com/YjeqI2GNSo
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 3, 2023
Turner, 28, took the fight on less than two weeks’ notice and snapped a two-fight skid as a result of his victory. Green, 37, was originally scheduled to face Dan Hooker in a five-round fight. He has a two-fight winning streak snapped as a result of the loss.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 52 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.
