UFC 257: Marina Rodriguez knocks out Amanda Ribas in confusing finish on Fight Island
- Rodriguez walks off thinking referee Herb Dean has called the fight, only for second round to continue
- ‘He came in close, he had his hands out so I thought I was throwing a lot of punches and she wasn’t mobile,’ Brazilian says
Marina Rodriguez got it done – eventually – after a bizarre finish to her UFC 257 main card strawweight bout against Amanda Ribas on Sunday morning.
There was initial confusion on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, when Brazil’s Rodriguez walked off celebrating, having dropped her compatriot with a shot right on the button, and having delivered some follow up ground and pound early in the second round at the Etihad Arena.
The 33-year-old Rodriguez seemed to think referee Herb Dean had called it, but it appeared he had just stumbled over Ribas’ leg, not moved in to stop the fight. Ribas tried to grab a single leg as Rodriguez walked away with her arm in the air, and Dean clearly saw enough to keep things going.
Dean finally stepped in not long after, with Rodriguez (13-1-2) turning back around and landing a couple more huge strikes on the feet to seal the deal at 0:54 in the second.
“I saw that I was finishing the fight, she wasn’t moving and the ref came in with his arms open then I moved away,” Rodriguez said backstage. “I didn’t need to hit her anymore, but when I looked around, there were different screams in the crowd, nobody was coming in so I had to go back in there and finish her again.