Hindsight is 20/20?
Top 15-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight Dan Ige defended his spot in the rankings by stopping the surging 145-pounder Sean Woodson via technical knockout (TKO) at UFC 314 last weekend (Sat., April 12, 2025) from inside Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida (watch highlights).
But the TKO win was not without controversy, as the finish was deemed an early stoppage by fans, as well as Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan, who were calling the fight.
Days later, Ige reflected on the stoppage. While acknowledging the debate, he disagrees with the criticism.
“You know what, I understand the controversy, but I believe the commentary plays a big role in that,” Ige told Home of Fight recently. “Because in the moment, when I was in there and he shot in on my legs and I was hammer fisting him and the ref stopped the fight, the crowd erupted. I felt the energy. There was no controversy there. Everyone was stoked that I finished the fight, and I did what I was supposed to do.
“When I went back and watched it, DC said his comments with Rogan and Anik. They said what they said,” Ige added. “It kind of sucks because it robs me of my victory, but at the same time, that ref could’ve saved that guy’s career. If anything, it just robbed me of a greater and bigger finish, essentially damaging the guy more and more. He’s a good dude. I don’t want to necessarily give him brain damage.”
“But they were calling these [hammerfists] short shots. My short shots are hard, thudding shots. That’s not just a pitter-patter, and I was hitting him with full-force aggression, trying to hurt him,” Ige concluded. “Dude, he was just lying on my legs. And I get that he was standing up, but again, [he should have] separated and created distance. It is what it is.”
Regardless of fan opinions, Ige led two rounds on the scorecards, and with the punch that rocked Woodson, he likely secured the third.
Ultimately, Ige halted his two-fight losing streak, having fallen to Diego Lopes (on three hours’ notice at UFC 303) and Lerone Murphy.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
