Full Contact Fighter Database

Home

>

News

>

Article

Media

Sunday, Feb 02, 2014

UFC 169: Dana White Says Referee Herb Dean “Blew it”, Alistair Overeem “Kept His Job”

UFC Heavyweight Alistair Overeem. Photo Credit: Esther Lin/Strikeforce

Overeem Felt “Comfortable” in Win Over Mir

By FCF Staff

Renan Barao may have had Urijah Faber in a ton of trouble, courtesy a couple of hard right hands, but Dana White is one of the many who believes their UFC 169 headliner was stopped too soon.

The UFC President had this to say about referee Herb Dean’s decision to stop the fight in round one, as Faber was clinging to Barao’s leg.

“Faber was okay. He was rocked. He was blocking the shots,” White relayed on the FOX Sports 1 post-fight show. “Herb Dean doesn’t make many mistakes, but he blew it tonight.”

After the bout was called in round one, Faber certainly appeared to be okay, despite the fact he had been sent reeling moments earlier.

“When you’re in a dangerous situation, you protect yourself. The ref Herb Dean said ‘protect yourself’ and I put my thumb up,” Faber said. “Herb Dean is a great ref. It’s unfortunate to not be able to fight to the end. I’ll be back. I’m not the type of person to stay down for very long.”

Faber secured his second fight with Barao by winning four straight, since the latter handed him a unanimous decision defeat in July, 2012. The only men to defeat the 34 year-old fighter at bantamweight are former champ Dominick Cruz and Barao.

Faber (photo via UFC.com)

Alistair Overeem may not have delivered an emphatic stoppage at UFC 169, but the feared striker appeared to have few issues in handing Frank Mir a unanimous decision loss.

Overeem stunned Mir on a couple of occasions when the action was on its feet, and also administered considerable punishment from the top position on the ground. As the end of the bout neared, however, he appeared to take his foot off the gas pedal.

“We had to play it safe. I gassed out in my last fight. I almost had Mir,” said Overeem, who was coming off back-to-back KO losses to Antonio Silva and Travis Browne, after stopping Brock Lesnar in 2011. “We fought a safe and calculated fight. I felt like I could do damage on the ground, and gas him out on the floor without taking too much damage. I felt comfortable.”

“He controlled and nullified the ground game of Frank Mir,” featherweight contender Chad Mendes said during the FOX Sports 1 broadcast. “The way Alistair held Frank’s arm over his head when he was on the ground didn’t allow Frank to do anything and he was just pinned down and taking shots.”

Heading into the fight there was considerable speculation that the loser could exit the UFC. Mir had incurred consecutive losses to Josh Barnett, Daniel Cormier and Junior dos Santos prior to facing Overeem.

“He fought safe. I think he could have finished Mir. He kept his job,” White noted to FOX Sports 1. “Should Frank retire? We don’t make those decisions tonight. Frank is tough. It was a crappy performance by Alistair and then he calls out someone who doesn’t even fight in the UFC. It was not a great night for Overeem.”

In his post fight interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan, Overeem referred to the persistent rumors that Lesnar is returning to the Octagon, and that he’d be “waiting” for the pro wrestler.

In the post-fighter presser, White stated: “Brock Lesnar is not coming back. We have no deal with Lesnar and he’s not coming back anytime soon.”

UFC 169 was hosted by Newark’s Prudential Center and also saw featherweight champ Jose Aldo decision Ricardo Lamas.

 

posted by FCF Staff @ 11:23 am
Have a comment about this story? Please share with us by filling out the fields below.

Comments are closed.