:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/40509730/20140927_jla_cs1_1164.jpg.0.jpg)
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight Yoel Romero, who knocked out Tim Kennedy at UFC 178 last Saturday night (Sept. 27, 2014) in Las Vegas, Nevada (video), came under fire for taking a coffee break between rounds two and three, perhaps buying himself some extra recovery time after getting his head caved in at the close of the second stanza.
See how the entire mess unfolded here.
While Romero's corner was accused of "the dirtiest trick in the book" by UFC President Dana White, coach Ricardo Liborio told MMA Fighting that no treachery was afoot, and that Kennedy was likely going to sleep no matter what transpired on the stool.
"When I was talking to Yoel, he was already back. He wasn't out. He was talking to me. I told him ‘you have to go straight forward and win the round, you have to win the third round,' and he said ‘I got it, coach.' I don't know how long did it take for the fight to restart, but Yoel wasn't out and he never asked to stop the fight. The whole situation was a mess. Paulino never intended to win some time, and that's not my style. I would never do something like that. If the UFC thinks the rematch is interesting, Yoel would take it. But if you saw the fight, you know Yoel was winning it. I'm not taking anything away from Tim Kennedy, he's a tough fighter, but Yoel won the fight. And it's not a coincidence that he knocked him out in the third round. And I'm sure it would be exactly the same if they do another fight."
In addition to Romero, veteran referee "Big" John McCarthy also took some heat for the fiasco.
Kennedy -- who angrily confronted the "Soldier of God" backstage after the fight -- was contemplating an official appeal; however, word came down from Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Executive Director Bob Bennett that it would likely be a waste of time, so the former Army Ranger is expected to let it drop.
But based on what you saw at UFC 178, who would do the dropping in a potential rematch?
Get the latest gear
