Top 5 Worst stoppages in UFC history

by - soumya ranjan

Apart from the fighters, referees are the most significant entities inside the octagon. While they are expected to save fighters from severe injuries, there have been times where referees have either stopped the fight early or have gotten late in doing that. Here is a list of the top five worst stoppages in the UFC.

5. Kevin Lee vs Michael Chiesa Kevin Lee and Michael Chiesa had a fierce rivalry that got settled inside the octagon in 2017. However, the fight attracted controversy as referee Mario Yamasaki made a premature stoppage call against Chiesa. According to the fighter, he wasn't out and was trying to get out of the submission.

4. Aron Riley vs Shane Nelson In their first outing at UFC 96, Shane Nelson defeated Aron Riley via TKO, but the stoppage by the referee, Rick Fike, was highly controversial. While Riley was trying to get back to him, Fike decided to step in and stop the fight, which was immediately protested by the fighter.

3. Derrick Lewis vs Travis Browne Derrick Lewis fought Travis Browne at UFC Fight Night 105 and absolutely rocked Browne in the second round. However, the situation got worse as referee Mario Yamasaki didn't stop Lewis from punishing Browne with a few extra strikes while Browne was knocked out on the ground.

2. Robbie Lawler vs Ben Askeren Referee Herb Dean is pretty popular; however, during the fight between Robbie Lawler and Ben Askeren, he made a crucial mistake. Askeren got an impressive hold of Lawler, and it looked like the veteran was out, so Dean immediately stopped the fight. However, Lawler showed his frustration by claiming he was fine.

1. Ion Cutelaba vs Magomed Ankalaev Ion Cutelaba faced Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 254, and the fight had a very weird stoppage. During the last moments of the first round, Cutelaba took some strikes and started wobbling. This prompted the referee to stop the fight; however, Cutelaba was furious after the call and claimed that he was just mocking Ankalaev.

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