Joe Rogan saw multiple errors in how Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven ended.
Undisputed heavyweight champion Usyk scored a controversial TKO stoppage win over ex-Glory Kickboxing champ Verhoeven in Round 11 of their headliner this past Saturday in Cairo, Egypt.
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Usyk knocked down Verhoeven toward the end of Round 11, which sent his mouth piece flying. Verhoeven survived, but Usyk was all over him with seconds winding down in the round. The referee stopped the fight with one second left, which had Verhoeven immediately protesting. It also appeared that the bell had already sounded before the referee stopped the fight.
“He’s so used to combat, too. Like getting in there just fighting Usyk, it’s not a big deal to him,” Rogan said of Verhoeven on “The Joe Rogan Experience.” “Bro, he was winning 8-2 in my eyes. I thought he was winning 8-2 going into the 11th round when the fight was stopped. Now, the fight shouldn’t have been stopped the way it was stopped.
“But also that wasn’t eight seconds after the knockdown. So after he gets knocked down, he doesn’t have his mouthpiece, so then they have to go over to the corner, rinse off his mouth piece. The whole thing is a mistake. It takes like 30 seconds, and then the referee stops it when he’s still standing, moving around.”
Two of the judges scored the fight a draw prior to the stoppage, with the third judge having Verhoeven up just one round. Verhoeven plans on formally appealing the stoppage loss.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Joe Rogan on Verhoeven vs. Usyk stoppage: ‘Whole thing is a mistake’
