The performance of Dan Ige in the featured prelim bout of UFC 314 cannot be denied, but his stoppage win over Sean Woodson left a bitter taste in the mouths of fans.
Ige's striking was on point, pressuring Woodson despite facing a significant disadvantage in height and reach. Though Woodson's jabs get Ige at bay briefly, Ige turned up the heat in the second round, bringing increased power with his strikes and mixing things up with takedown attempts.
Ige landed a crisp body shot during the third round that caught Woodson's attention, hurting him, as Ige delivered a flurry of punches. Woodson looked for a takedown, and Ige rained punches down to his head. The referee intervened to stop the fight, though Woodson was in the midst of standing up -- and he immediately protested as the crowd rained down boos.
This wasn't the first controversial referee moment in the night, as Mike Beltran has come under fire for allowing Darren Elkins to take excessive unnecessary damage from Julian Erosa before a stoppage -- and the decision to not take a point from Yan Xiaonan despite a fence grab (as much as it didn't stop a Virna Jandiroba takedown).
Ige snaps a two-fight losing skid with his victory, coming in off losses to Diego Lopes and Lerone Murphy. Ige's most recent victory prior to tonight came against Andre Fili in February 2024.
Woodson sees a seven-fight unbeaten streak (6-0-1) snapped at Ige's (and the ref's) hands tonight. Woodson's victories in this stretch had included wins over Charles Jourdain and Alex Caceres.
The performance of Dan Ige in the featured prelim bout of UFC 314 cannot be denied, but his stoppage win over Sean Woodson left a bitter taste in the mouths of fans.
Ige's striking was on point, pressuring Woodson despite facing a significant disadvantage in height and reach. Though Woodson's jabs get Ige at bay briefly, Ige turned up the heat in the second round, bringing increased power with his strikes and mixing things up with takedown attempts.
Ige landed a crisp body shot during the third round that caught Woodson's attention, hurting him, as Ige delivered a flurry of punches. Woodson looked for a takedown, and Ige rained punches down to his head. The referee intervened to stop the fight, though Woodson was in the midst of standing up -- and he immediately protested as the crowd rained down boos.
This wasn't the first controversial referee moment in the night, as Mike Beltran has come under fire for allowing Darren Elkins to take excessive unnecessary damage from Julian Erosa before a stoppage -- and the decision to not take a point from Yan Xiaonan despite a fence grab (as much as it didn't stop a Virna Jandiroba takedown).
Ige snaps a two-fight losing skid with his victory, coming in off losses to Diego Lopes and Lerone Murphy. Ige's most recent victory prior to tonight came against Andre Fili in February 2024.
Woodson sees a seven-fight unbeaten streak (6-0-1) snapped at Ige's (and the ref's) hands tonight. Woodson's victories in this stretch had included wins over Charles Jourdain and Alex Caceres.
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