Dana White Says Fifth Round Would Have Been ‘Very Bad’ for Brian Ortega “Health Wise’
Count Dana White among those who was happy with the doctor stoppage following the fourth round of the featherweight championship clash between Max Holloway and Brian Ortega at UFC 231 on Saturday night.
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“For all of us that have been in the fight game a long time, that’s what you call too tough for your own good. And I believe he could have done the fifth round,” White said of Ortega at the post-fight press conference. “I believe he would have done the fifth round, but it should have never happened.
“That fifth round should have never happened. He’s a young,
talented guy, and I think going into that fifth round would have
been very bad for him, health wise. The fourth round wasn’t good
for him health wise.”
There have been plenty of cases in the past in which a fighter is allowed to continue to his or her detriment. Most of these type of athletes are mentally and physically conditioned to push themselves past what most would consider a normal limit. Ortega is no exception, and he was a game opponent throughout Saturday’s fight at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. With the outcome all but inevitable, it wasn’t worth seeing “T-City” risk taking more damage for another five minutes.
With that in mind, White praised the cageside doctor for making the right decision.
“I wanted them to stop that fight going into the fifth round,” White said. “I was hoping that either the referee or the corner was going to stop that fight.
“I commend the doctor here in Toronto for stopping that fight,” White said. “He did a great job.”
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