Rogan explains Yamasaki grilling after Silva call

UFC co-commentator Joe Rogan has explained the reason behind why he put Mario Yamasaki in a difficult position by asking him to explain his decision to disqualify Erick Silva at UFC 142.

Silva exploded into life on Saturday, finishing Carlo Prater in spectacular fashion after just 29 seconds. However, his joy was cut short when Yamasaki ruled that he had delivered blows to the back of Prater's head - resulting in disqualification.

Replays appeared to show only one blow connecting with the back of the head, with Silva seemingly doing all he could to stay within the legal confines of the sport. The judgement call by Yamasaki clearly angered Rogan, who forced the referee to explain his decision to 15,000 fans inside the stadium, something which has since drawn criticism for Rogan himself.

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Rogan had to ask, otherwise the crowd was going to riot. Kidding.

I don't mind Rogan asking Mario, but there was a point were Rogan was really pressing Mario and then I was like okay Rogan you can stop.

i bet Yamasaki will think about his next call =) good job Rogan

Joe's statement

"He (Yamasaki) is a great guy, and I'm always happy to see him," Rogan wrote on the Underground Forum. "When I step into the Octagon however, I represent the people watching at home that might have obvious questions, and when something is controversial I'm forced to confront it honestly because that's what I would want to hear from a person in my position if I was a fan watching it at home. "It was obviously a controversial call, and I'm sure some of you agree with it, but I certainly think it's also possible to argue that it was a bad call. That was my perspective, so I had to express it. I'm not a perfect person, and I f*** up all the time. It's a part of life. "I think Mario Yamasaki is one of the best in the world at refereeing MMA. No doubt about it. He's got great insight to the sport, he's a lifelong martial artist, and he's a really smart guy. "What I was acting from, is that I saw an incredible young talent get denied a KO victory for a questionable call. When I entered into the Octagon and was told of the official ruling that Silva was going to be disqualified for illegal blows to the back of the head everyone that I was around who heard the news opened their mouths in shock. Everyone said, "What?" "When I leaned over to explain it to Goldie (Mike Goldberg) he couldn't believe it either. I had to ask Mario about it. I didn't know how he was going to respond, but I had to ask him."

it bothered me. That's the most i've ever been irritated w/Rogan. The ref makes his calls during the action and his job is to do so w/the fighters safety in mind. I didn't agree with Yamasaki but I agreed even less with Rogan making a huge deal of it right inside the cage with all those potentially angry fans sitting in the stands.

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Posted by MaxOne

it bothered me. That's the most i've ever been irritated w/Rogan. The ref makes his calls during the action and his job is to do so w/the fighters safety in mind. I didn't agree with Yamasaki but I agreed even less with Rogan making a huge deal of it right inside the cage with all those potentially angry fans sitting in the stands.

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What does calling a DQ instead of a KO have to do with fighter safety???

I agree with Rogan.

I feel bad for Yamasaki but it isn't really about him. This isn't the Ultimate Refereeing Championships.

Rogan did the right thing by putting the fans and the fighters ahead of Yamaski's feelings.

This whole thing wouldn't be an issue if Yamasaki would've just stood behind his decision. He appeared indecisive once Rogan questioned him about it.


Thats what I love about John McCarthy. He always knows what the right call is, when to make it, and he will never back down from it.

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Posted by Aether

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Posted by MaxOne

it bothered me. That's the most i've ever been irritated w/Rogan. The ref makes his calls during the action and his job is to do so w/the fighters safety in mind. I didn't agree with Yamasaki but I agreed even less with Rogan making a huge deal of it right inside the cage with all those potentially angry fans sitting in the stands.

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What does calling a DQ instead of a KO have to do with fighter safety???

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It appeared that the ref thought the fight was finished by use of illegal blows ala jones vs. hamel. That fight was given to Hamel. Many people thought it should have been NC...either way that fight wasn't a win for jones for the same reason (from the ref's perspective.)

I don't disagree with it being addressed and i am not concerned with the refs feelings. I disagree with it being addressed right in the ring with the ref. I can't remember the last time a ref was interviewed in the ring right after the fight. I personally don't think it's a good idea. I think the ref should be untouchable in that setting.

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Posted by Aether

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Posted by MaxOne

it bothered me. That's the most i've ever been irritated w/Rogan. The ref makes his calls during the action and his job is to do so w/the fighters safety in mind. I didn't agree with Yamasaki but I agreed even less with Rogan making a huge deal of it right inside the cage with all those potentially angry fans sitting in the stands.

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What does calling a DQ instead of a KO have to do with fighter safety???

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HAAA

+1

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Posted by Aether

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Posted by MaxOne

it bothered me. That's the most i've ever been irritated w/Rogan. The ref makes his calls during the action and his job is to do so w/the fighters safety in mind. I didn't agree with Yamasaki but I agreed even less with Rogan making a huge deal of it right inside the cage with all those potentially angry fans sitting in the stands.

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What does calling a DQ instead of a KO have to do with fighter safety???

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Calling it a KO wasn't his only other option, was it?

First off I think Mario made the right call. 3 or 4 of those punches were to the back of Carlo's head. Personally I feel anything behind the ears is the back of the head. Mario obviously feels the same way. It is kind of like a strike zone in baseball. Some referees have a microscopic area that they feel is "the back of the head". I think Mario made a good call. I feel Rogan on the other hand has no business asking the referee anything about his decisions. I think Rogan is the best MMA commentator out there by far but I don't think he has the right to do what he did. My real gripe is with the decision. Sure Silva should have been DQed but Carlo didn't deserve a win. The same thing happened with Jon Jones and Matt Hamill. Jones should have been DQed but Matt did not deserve a win! In these circumstances I feel one fighter should get a DQ and the other fighter should get a NC (No Contest).

I'm glad he put him on the spot. Refs in the NHL, NFL and NBA get put on the spot and UMp's in baseball even get together when a call is questioned and talk among themselves. UFC/MMA has got to get with the times and allow a changed call to be a possibility.

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Posted by Sir_Karl

First off I think Mario made the right call. 3 or 4 of those punches were to the back of Carlo's head.

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Unless you think the strikes were deliberately aimed at the back of the head and you also think Prater could've continued if not for the strikes (after the knee that even Prater said "did him in") then you don't think Mario made the right call.

He judged that Silva deliberately intended for his punches to hit the back of the head and also by calling a DQ he deemed that Prater could've continued if not for the illegal strike(s).

It should've been a No Contest at worst as Prater couldn't continue due to previous damage, and the only other option would've been TKO.

Illegal anything doesn't = DQ. It has to be deliberate and be the reason that causes the other fighter to be unable to continue. Bad call.

Yamasaki was wrong & even HE knew he was after Rogan showed him the replay!
Why didn't Yamasaki just admit the miscall & switch it up??? You could tell he wanted to !

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Posted by Kpro

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Posted by Sir_Karl

First off I think Mario made the right call. 3 or 4 of those punches were to the back of Carlo's head.

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Unless you think the strikes were deliberately aimed at the back of the head and you also think Prater could've continued if not for the strikes (after the knee that even Prater said "did him in") then you don't think Mario made the right call.

He judged that Silva deliberately intended for his punches to hit the back of the head and also by calling a DQ he deemed that Prater could've continued if not for the illegal strike(s).

It should've been a No Contest at worst as Prater couldn't continue due to previous damage, and the only other option would've been TKO.

Illegal anything doesn't = DQ. It has to be deliberate and be the reason that causes the other fighter to be unable to continue. Bad call.

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That was a perfect response.

Props.


Also, it clearly wasn't the back of the head. You can make up whatever definition you want....but even my three year old knows where the back of her head is. Its not exactly up for debate.

This whole "earmuffs" vs "mohawk" debate is just silly.