This Week in MMA: UFC legend Dan Hardy in furious bust-up with referee

Saturday night saw the final UFC Fight Island card take place in Abu Dhabi, following two weeks and four events of action. During the hectic schedule, fans have witnessed a new champion crowned, new prospects emerging, a new PPV record in Jorge Masvidal’s failed attempt to win the welterweight title and Conor McGregor's "retirement" from the game...

Saturday’s card was headlined by ex-middleweight king Robert Whittaker and England’s Darren Till. The bout was a tactical affair but one full of excitement with both men securing knockdowns in the fight. 

The New Zealander won the next two rounds with a pressing low kick - similar to what Till used in his fight against Stephen Thompson back in 2018 - to damage the Scouser's knee and restrict his movement, making him a slower and less mobile target to hit.
The final round saw Till deliver a vicious elbow to draw blood from Whittaker before landing a trademark left - despite rallying in the fifth, it was too little too late with the latter winning 48-47 on all three of the judges’ scorecards. After the battle, Till congratulated Whittaker on the victory and vowed to face champion Israel Adesanya in the future, but to get that opportunity, he would have to “knock someone out’.

Chimaev continues carnage

Khamzat Chimaev was the fighter who garnered much of the attention during the build up to this event after winning his debut fight just 10 days earlier.
The Swede defeated Rhys McKee - who stepped in on short notice - mauling him with strike after strike to win inside the first round via TKO [punches]. He has now stretched his MMA record to 8-0 and holds the UFC record for the quickest turnaround between wins. 

Chimaev later took to social media after his fight and began calling out various fighters, including former welterweight title challenger Demien Maia and fan favourite Michael Chiesa amongst others. President Dana White revealed August 15 is the date in mind for his next fight.

Furious bust-up between Hardy and referee

It wouldn’t have been a UFC event without some sort of controversy, and this week it was another case of late stoppages by a referee that was getting fans up in arms.
Jai Herbert got knocked out by Francisco Trinaldo in the third round after being caught by a swinging left hand. Upon falling to the canvas, it was clear Herbert was out and Trinaldo held off firing any follow up punches, as referee Herb Dean looked poised to jump in and stop the contest.
Much to the besument of everybody watching, Dean didn’t halt the fight until Trinaldo landed more shots. Commentators Dan Hardy and Paul Felder (both of whom have fought in the UFC and had Dean referee their fights) analysed the the slow stoppage, with Hardy shouting “that's the second time tonight” (the first being a late stoppage in the Tanner Boser vs Raphael Pessoa contest).

The incident will now be investigated by the UFC.
By Kieran Cobley @CobleyReporting