Leslie Smith isn’t happy with the referee stoppage in her fight with Cris “Cyborg” Justino at UFC 198, and she’s taken to social media to lay out her grievances.
Smith was stopped in the first round in Curitiba, and immediately protested. Additionally, she was visibly upset as the result was being announced by Bruce Buffer, yelling into the camera that she wasn’t done. All of that led to the following on Instagram:
Penick’s Analysis: The biggest issue with her contentions here are that the referee was entirely justified in the stoppage. She got dropped by a significant and accurate combination, and Justino was landing even more strikes on the ground. Smith may have been trying to stay alive in the fight, but she took five or six strikes to the face in a row before the ref stepped in. Arguing about other non-stoppages is more in support of those referees doing a poor job in the fights they were handling. She doesn’t have a case here, and though her toughness and competitiveness is admirable, fighters are far too often too tough for their own good, leading to unnecessary damage. Dust off, live to fight another day.
[Photo (c) Matt Roberts via USA Today Sports]
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