Ed Herman and Mike Rodriguez face off during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in at UFC APEX on September 11, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Ed Herman vs Mike Rodriguez had a crazy low blow call which decided the match
UFC president Dana White was left upset and furious with referee Chris Tognini over an incorrect low blow call in the Mike Rodriguez vs Ed Herman clash.
Controversy took center stage in this clash as Herman went down after a couple of body shots. However, the referee claimed this was a low blow and allowed Herman to recover with the full time allotted.
Rodriguez believed he had won the fight and was celebrating but the clash continued. This allowed Herman to regain his composure and he was able to lock in a kimura for a turnaround win.
Rodriguez was left scathing after this and his party decided to protest the decision from the referee.
The UFC couldn’t use replays to correct the call due to Nevada Sports Commission rules, and White ripped into the referee.
“That is the most disgusting thing I have ever seen.”
White then claimed that Herman was extremely tough but laid the blame on the referee:
“If you talk about acting, listen, if the referee is that stupid that he didn’t see that. That it wasn’t a low blow, Ed Herman’s job is to get in there and win a fight, and he did what he had to do.
“It’s one of the most disgusting, bad calls I have seen in my life.”
White also spoke about being a little happy that Rodriguez didn’t get his arm broken from the lock.
However, the UFC president decided to reduce some of the damage done. While the loss is on Rodriguez’s record at the moment, the UFC decided to pay him the win amount despite the result.
The UFC has seen many poor calls from the referee and judges in recent years, and this goes down as one of the worst.
However, referees are human and can make mistakes too. This was a perfect example why replays should be used in tough positions and hopefully, the rules are changed quickly.
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