UFC Quick Quote: Bar room brawl breaks out at UFC Fight Night 17
by MMAmania.com on Feb 8, 2009 10:46 AM EST
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"My whole game plan was to brawl until I hit a wall.... I thought the ref was going to stop it. I was getting rocked. Maybe four or five more [punches] and I would have been out or something.... Not much technique -- it kind looked like a bar room brawl."
-- Octagon newcomer Matt Veach comments in his post-fight interview on the back-and-forth slugfest that he got into last night against Matt Grice at UFC Fight Night 17: "Lauzon vs. Stephens" at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. It was a preliminary card fight; however, the 155-pound brawl made the Spike TV telecast because it was so wild. Veach appeared to be on the verge of being out before somehow recovering and turning the tide. He soon had Grice in a similar situation and the referee was not as forgiving this time around, calling a halt to the bout because of strikes on the ground. It was perhaps a bit too soon, considering the way the fight had gone up until that point. Grice was clearly upset with the stoppage. So, too, were most of those who tuned in who wanted to see the fight play out until the bitter end. Veach took the fight on just nine days notice. Not too shabby.
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Shoulda been fight of the night! I liked watching these two pups go at it!
by john on Feb 8, 2009 8:35 PM EST up reply actions
Clearly stopped prematurely. The ref was a complete hypocrite. He gave Veach PLENTY of time to recover then turns around and calls a stoppage against Grice after 2 hammer-fists or whatever.
I’m not saying the end result would be any different. Another 3 unanswered blows from Veach would have done the trick but…..Grice was dazed and he looked to me like he was looking to defend/improve his position.
by Machine on Feb 8, 2009 11:00 AM EST reply actions
everyone watch the fight again please…i agree he gave veach way more time, but the ref has to react to what he sees. when grice went down from that punch his neck went soft and his head bobbled around a bunch making him look way more hurt than veach did when he went down. i would have liked to see him get a chance to recover too, but the way it looked, i have no problem with the ref stepping in to protect a guy in that instance. great fight tho, arguably fight of the night and ko of the night. I’d have rather seen these guys get one of those since they prob got paid way less than the cain, danzig or neer.
by Crowls on Feb 8, 2009 12:37 PM EST up reply actions
I used to train with Veach before the H.I.T. Squad opened. He is a tough dude for sure. I can’t wait to see him after he gets a proper camp in. I beleive he took this fight on 9 days notice and had to lose alot of weight.
by WCMMA217 on Feb 8, 2009 11:23 AM EST reply actions
bullshit stoppage!!veach took way more punishment in the first knockdown.inconsistency at its best!!
by scott on Feb 8, 2009 11:33 AM EST reply actions
This was ridiculous. These refs need to be held accountable. Like in any job, if you F up, you pay the piper. FOOLISHNESS!
Veach was stiffened up like a sheet of CDX, and the ref doesn’t stop it??? Silly. Then the ref decides to stop it in favor of Veach when his opponent isn’t even out? FINED! Big fine for that ref, man.
Veach was OUT. Flash knock out, or whatever. He was STIFF. Reminiscent of Nate Quarry when he got FloorPunched by Rich Franklin.
Ridiculous stoppage. Unacceptable.
by The Terminator on Feb 8, 2009 1:44 PM EST reply actions
Agreed, even Veach said after the fight that he thought the ref would jump in and stop it when he was getting pumped by Grice. He gave Veach way more time to recover and defend, Grice wasnt even out, he looked good when the ref stopped it.
by the spyder on Feb 8, 2009 2:03 PM EST reply actions
Grice got robbed. Worst part is Veach admitted it. How can the ref let Veach take a beating not stop it, then stop it for less damage when Grice was on bottom. Worst of all seeing Hughes all happy at the end. I cant wait till Serra retires him.
by guy on Feb 8, 2009 2:15 PM EST reply actions
Matt Hughes is a bitch and will tell you that was a great stoppage.
by Spyder on Feb 8, 2009 4:02 PM EST up reply actions
If you like seeing Hughes get beat, stick to watching his GSP fights, because “one hit wonder” Serra isn’t winning their upcoming fight.
by naturalshadow on Feb 9, 2009 1:36 AM EST up reply actions
grice brings it, he may be 1-2 in the ufc, but i guarantee the ufc aint gonna let go of him
by mwd on Feb 8, 2009 2:44 PM EST reply actions
The weird thing to me was that Grice looked like he was knocked out by the punch that sent him to the ground, and then woke up when his head hit the mat. I could have understood it if the ref had stopped it as a KO, but not after he became alert again. The ref messed up (he was inconsistent), but it has to be hard during the heat of battle. He was perhaps a little overly cautious, but I guess better than the alternative.
by UFCAddict on Feb 8, 2009 3:29 PM EST reply actions
the difference is when Veach was knocked down he was defending moving his arms around trying to grab Grice, when Grice was down his hands were still with no attempt to stop Veach from pounding away.
by Griffinfan05 on Feb 8, 2009 4:55 PM EST reply actions
Bad stoppage but still give the fighters props for taken those shots and still battling
by brad milam on Feb 8, 2009 6:35 PM EST reply actions
Bad stoppage indeed…..Hughes probably paid off the ref since his last few protoge’s did FA.
by deadgrassinyard on Feb 8, 2009 11:26 PM EST reply actions
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