UFC 251: Dana White slams ‘horrible’ refereeing in Petr Yan vs Jose Aldo fight – ‘looks like we have to tighten up’

UFC president believes the fifth-round stoppage ‘should have been stopped sooner’ by referee Leon Roberts

White says Marlon Moraes next in line for new champion Yan after winning vacant bantamweight title

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UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan punches Jose Aldo in their title fight at UFC 251 on Fight Island, Abu Dhabi. Photo: USA Today

Published: 7:48pm, 12 Jul 2020Updated: 7:48pm, 12 Jul 2020

Dana White called the officiating in Petr Yan’s bantamweight title fight win over Jose Also “horrible” and is considering “tightening up” on referee vetting for future Fight Island events.

Fresh champion Yan (15-1), who beat former featherweight champion Aldo (28-7) via fifth-round TKO at UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, spent a substantial amount of the final round grounding and pounding his Brazilian opponent before referee Leon Edwards stepped in.

This was the 33-year-old Aldo’s second fight at the lower 135-pound division having unsuccessfully debuted against Marlon Moraes in December last year. According to White, it appeared that Aldo was not intelligently defending himself towards the end of the Yan finish.

“I thought [Yan] looked good. I thought Aldo looked great for people criticising him,” White said at the post-event press conference.

“Horrible, horrible stoppage by the referee. It should have been stopped sooner. Looks like we have to tighten up our refs and judges here on Fight Island.”