A top UFC commentator isn’t putting his friend Jason Herzog on blast, but he does raise an important question.
One fight on the UFC Abu Dhabi prelims sparked a debate within the MMA community. Steven Nguyen went one-on-one with Mohammad Yahya in a featherweight tilt. The bout drew controversy, as Yahya was dropped multiple times and his eye ballooned so bad that he made ESPN’s SportsCenter. The fight was stopped before the third round began, but many have criticized Herzog, who officiated the bout, for not stepping in sooner.
Play-by-play ace Jon Anik doesn’t believe the responsibility rests solely on Herzog, as he feels Yahya’s corner could’ve intervened. Still, Anik wonders what exactly is being done about fighter safety if referees are allowing the bout to go on past the expiration date. He chimed in on the situation during an edition of “The Anik & Florian Podcast” (via MMAJunkie).
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“What are we doing in the form of fighter safety?” Anik said. “Maybe I should call my friend Jason Herzog, who I really do love and be like, ‘Hey Jason, it’s Jon. Do me a favor and just stop the fight?’ There’s a lot to unpack here. Tapology ranks the Daniel Zellhuber vs. Esteban Ribovics fight from 2024 as the 34th greatest lightweight fight of all time in MMA, and the No. 1 fight of the year in 2024. Jason Herzog was the referee for Zellhuber and Ribovics, and if you hear nothing else I say today – I don’t know if I was suggestive on the broadcast that fight should’ve been stopped at one point in time, but I thought Zellhuber should’ve been saved to live to fight another day.
“The result was Herzog masterfully let the fight play out and the result was the Fight of the Year. But my thesis statement always is, ‘What are doing in the form of fighter safety.’ The ends don’t justify the means. If there’s a rally and a Fight of the Year ensues, just because Mohammad Yahya doesn’t have an orbital fracture doesn’t mean that heretofore it doesn’t mean he’s going to pay dearly for this.”
Yahya was able to walk away from UFC Abu Dhabi without any facial fractures. There is also no permanent damage to his left eye. UFC executive David Shaw told reporters that he spoke to Herzog after the fight and he was satisfied with the referee’s reasoning for letting the bout go on for as long as he did.