LAS VEGAS – Referee Marc Goddard believes he handled Alex Pereira’s stoppage of Israel Adesanya perfectly fine.
Pereira (7-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) rallied to claim the middleweight title with a standing TKO of Adesanya (23-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) in the fifth round at UFC 281, where he had Adesanya badly hurt against the cage.
Adesanya immediately protested the stoppage and has continued to since then, but Goddard stands by his call.
