CABMMA: Yamasaki should have stopped fight sooner

The UFC Fight Night 125 co-main event was one of the most controversial of the year to date. Valentina Shevchenko outstruck Priscilla Cachoeira by 230 to 3. The UFC and Cachoeira have received some criticism, the bulk of it was directed at referee Mario Yamasaki.

Now the highly-respected Cristiano Sampaio, executive director of Brazil’s regulatory body, Comissao Atletica Brasileira de MMA (CABMMA), has responded. Via Steven Marrocco and MMAjunkie.

The Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA) has discussed the stoppage with referee Mario Yamaski at the post-fight meeting held at venue with all of the officials assigned for the event. We made it clear all of our concerns regarding the incident.

Priscilla Cachoeira demonstrated toughness and heart during the two rounds, but those are two attitudes that should not interfere or confuse the referee when it comes to stoppages. In the first round, in the last couple of minutes, it was clear that Priscilla could not defend herself efficiently nor technically. That reflected directly on the judges’ scores, all three giving it a 10-8 (score). Round 2 was the same, but obviously, with Priscilla not physically recovered enough from the previous round to demonstrate her chance against Valentina, the fight should have been called off right in the initial moments. And if the fight wasn’t called off, it would have been a clear 10-7, due to what we considered an overwhelming dominance and significant impact in the round.

As to the matchmaking, the fight was approved by CABMMA. If it was not well matched, and that was being evidently demonstrated during the fight, it should have been identified by the referee in charge, as he is the highest authority in that moment, and his role is to protect the fighter at all times, including stopping the fight at the proper moment.

CABMMA understands that errors can occur from all aspects, but they should be recognized and corrected to avoid similar cases in the future. And in a sport where the main concern is the fighter’s health and integrity, from the regulators’ standpoint we should do everything possible to minimize the risk of a scenario such as the one of this weekend.

Mario Yamasaki has been one of the best referees in MMA for the past decade and played a key role in helping our commission build the team of officials. We will discuss the next steps together and decide what is certainly best for all parts involved in the process.

Yamasaki too has responded to the unfortunate fight.