UFC 283 ref criticized for not stopping Lauren Murphy-Jessica Andrade fight

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It was pretty clear Jessica Andrade was victorious at UFC 283.

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In a one-sided bout, Andrade retained her UFC strawweight championship after pulverizing the face of flyweight Lauren Holly in a fight which two judges ruled 30-25 and 30-26 respectively for the champ. This meant that the second and third rounds were won by Andrade, according to the New York Post.

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However, referee Osiris Maia was criticized by UFC commentators Jon Anik and Daniel Cormier and fans alike on whether he should have stopped the fight.

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“I don’t know if I’d stop this fight,” said Cormier after the second round.

“What are we trying to accomplish by going another five (rounds),” questioned Anik.

Cormier  — a former UFC champ in his own right — thought two 10-8 rounds were already fought with only one more round to go. With only a couple of minutes left in the third round, Cormier said the referee has to stop the fight because Murphy wasn’t seeing the flurry of punches coming from Andrade.

“The ref has got to stop it. He looks like he wants to, just do it, man,” said Cormier.

Anik agreed, suggesting Maia “may want to get in there.”

Cormier said the fight “could have stopped a long time ago” and that it’s “so hard to watch this.”

After the smoke cleared and Andrade emerged victorious and Murphy’s face looked like hamburger meat, some UFC greats took to Twitter to voice their displeasure.

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“Mad props to Lauren Murphy for finishing that fight but her corner should have thrown in the towel,” tweeted UFC bantamweight fighter Cub Swanson.

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“That was f***ed,” tweeted UFC heavyweight fighter Tanner Boser. “Andrade is a monster and Lauren Murphy is one of the toughest humans alive which made that even more rough.”

In an Instagram post, Murphy said she was glad Maia didn’t stop the fight.

“I’m glad my corner didn’t stop the fight. (To be honest) I thought the ref was going to stop it in the second round but the bell rang before he decided to. Either way, I was grateful for the chance to keep fighting. My head and nose will heal with rest, and my heart will heal with time,” she wrote.

“The fight was a beat down but not the way I imagined it. Sometimes s*** goes down and you just got to learn from it and get better,” Murphy continued. “Jessica is an insanely tough opponent and I will learn a lot from her. All these experiences — the good ones and bad ones — make me a better athlete and human.”

Murphy confirmed her nose “is a little busted up” and that “my head needs rest” and that she will be “fine in a few days.”