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Although frustrated by rules, champ Demetrious Johnson compliments ref | News

"This is a fight, and you're stalling the fight," Johnson told MMAjunkie.com Radio (MMA Radio, UFC Radio - MMAjunkie Radio). "You have to keep on moving. Imagine how much damage I could have done to him right there. That's something that frustrated me."

But he was impressed by the even-handed refereeing of John McCarthy in the title fight, which headlined the event at Chicago's United Center.

"I think he John did a great job," Johnson said of the veteran ref. "He did a great job reffing, letting [Dodson] know, 'You can't be in his limbo.' He even told me, 'Demetrious, you've got to watch out if he's playing that game.'"

Fighters are instructed backstage that they can't post their hand to avoid getting struck by blows that would otherwise be legal. In other words, they can't use the rules in the way they weren't intended.

"John says protect yourself at all times," Johnson said. "That's John Dodson's job to protect himself at all times. If he gets kneed in the face, you can't play this game."

Johnson, however, couldn't initially see Dodson when he began unloading knees against the fence in the fourth round. One struck Dodson shortly after he posted his hand, which was an illegal blow. But according to McCarthy, the strike didn't land hard enough to affect the outcome of the bout, and because Johnson's vision was impeded, he ruled the foul unintentional.

Had the foul been ruled intentional, McCarthy could have deducted multiple points from Johnson's scorecard.

"If it effected the fight, it's time to take points," he said. "If it's something that hasn't truly affected the fight, then you try to stay away from doing something that's going to affect the fight by taking points."

Instead, the two were separated, and the ref warned the champ about the strike.

"I didn't know his hand was down," Johnson said. "The way the position is set up, my eyes are on the back of his back, and I'm kneeing. After I got warned, I apologized. You can tell after that warning that I was looking to see if his hand was down. In my mind, that's stalling the fight."

Johnson admitted he probably would do the same thing if trapped in the same position. But he believes his next move would be different.

"In Japan, ONE FC, if you're down like that, you're going to get kneed in the face," Johnson said. "Will I [post my hand]? Yeah, but I'll try to duck under and go to my back and arm drag. Be more dynamic."

For now, the UFC has given no indication it will change the current ruleset, which also outlaws another signature technique of international competition in stomping.