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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
"[Brock] took some hard shots when they were against the fence. He was looking for a way out. He was blocking some punches. At one point he tried to spin to push Shane away and took a couple shots. And then again, went for a deep half guard position and took a couple more shots. When he curled up after that is when I commanded him to fight back, which at that point he did, and then he went for feet on the hips to push Carwin away and was able to get to his knees. He pretty much ran with it. He heard -- he responded to my commands."
-Referee Josh Rosenthal talks to ESPN2's MMA Live about the UFC 116 main event between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin and why he didn't stop the fight in the first round. He has been criticized in some circles and praised in others for not stopping the bout.
Penick's Analysis: I maintain that Rosenthal did a fantastic job in this fight. He was absolutely within his rights to stop that fight in the first round, but he had given clear instructions backstage, and saw that Lesnar was responding to him when he told him to do something and defend the onslaught. He had a great view of the action, could see that Lesnar still had his wits about him and rightfully allowed the fight to continue. Excellent job by Rosenthal in a high profile spot.
RELATED STORY: MMA LIVE: UFC 116 review and more on extended edition of ESPN2 program: [CLICK TO VIEW FULL VIDEO]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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