UFC 142: Joe Rogan explains why he confronted Mario Yamasaki over DQ finish in Rio

When the fight was stopped between Erick Silva and Carlo Prater, who battled on the main card of the UFC 142: "Aldo vs. Mendes" pay-per-view event back on Jan. 14 in Rio, most of the fans both at home and in attendance thought it was another first round win for the fast-rising Brazilian.

It wasn't.

In fact, it was Silva's first loss inside the Octagon, thanks to referee Mario Yamasaki, who disqualified the young phenom for landing repeated blows to the back of Prater's head.

UFC color commentator Joe Rogan, who was amidst the post-fight confusion waiting for his opportunity to interview "Indio," confronted Yamasaki on live television and asked him to explain his decision against the big screen replay, which appeared to exonerate Silva from excessive fouls.

Some fans took Rogan to task for calling out Yamasaki, who was forced to make a judgement call in real time, without the benefit of instant replay. Others, however, felt it was an appropriate line of questioning.

Rogan took to The Underground to explain himself:

He's a great guy, and I'm always happy to see him. When I step into the octagon however, I represent the people watching at home that might have obvious questions, and when something is controversial I'm forced to confront it honestly because that's what I would want to hear from a person in my position if I was a fan watching it at home.

I think Mario Yamasaki is one of the best in the world at refereeing MMA. No doubt about it. He's got great insight to the sport, he's a life long martial artist, and he's a really smart guy. What I was acting from, is that I saw an incredible young talent get denied a KO victory for a questionable call. When I entered into the Octagon and was told of the official ruling that Silva was going to be disqualified for illegal blows to the back of the head everyone that I was around who heard the news opened their mouths in shock. Everyone said, "what?"

The people in the truck couldn't believe it. I had to read it back to them because I thought it was a mistake, and when I leaned over to explain it to Goldie he couldn't believe it either. I had to ask Mario about it. I didn't know how he was going to respond, but I had to ask him.

Erick Silva is a very promising fighter and I felt like I had a responsibility to address the issue. No disrespect intended.

How about it Maniacs, are you satisfied with Rogan's explanation? And is this further proof that mixed martial arts (MMA) needs instant replay?

For a closer look at the controversial stoppage in the fight between Erick Silva and Carlo Prater, check out our extensive fight review and analysis right here.