Ed Herman submitted Mike Rodriguez at UFC Las Vegas 10 but a controversial error by referee Chris Tognoni may have prevented Rodriguez from having finished Herman earlier in the fight. Rodriguez looked to have his opponent in trouble with a knee to the body that caused Herman to crumble. Tognoni declared that a low blow had caused the knockdown, however, although replays would show that the knee did not hit the groin area.
The stoppage for the supposed low blow allowed Herman to recover and the fight to continue. Herman than scored a submission victory via kimura in the 3rd round.
Dana White ripped the refereeing of the bout in the post-event press conference. White even compared Tognoni to arguably the referee he has despised the most through the years, Steve Mazzagatti.
“It’s hard not to bang on this guy, the worst I’ve ever seen,” White said of Tognoni. “He’s f***ing Mazzagatti-level. Some Mazzagatti-level s**t right there. That was one of the worst things I’ve ever seen.”
“That kid wins by knockout, technical knockout and loses the fight,” White continued. “One of the worst things I’ve ever seen. Disgusting.”
Rodriguez’s manager Tyson Chartier noted on Twitter that they will appeal the decision.
