Anthony Smith Tears Into Referee Jason Herzog For Apology
Jason Herzog is one of the best mixed martial arts referees in the business. However Anthony Smith does not seem to think so, after having him as the third man for his fight with Glover Texieria.
When Smith lost to Texieria, he did so in a brutal way. Although the fight started off good for the former middleweight, things took a tragic turn, as he was beaten to the point of losing his teeth. This has left many fans wondering if either the referee should have stopped the fight, or if Anthony’s corner should have thrown in the towel.
For his part, Jason Herzog took responsibility for not stopping the fight. He took to Twitter to issue an apology, and say that he will use this as a learning experience to do better in the future.
#UFCJAX pic.twitter.com/Y4DefYSdrm
— Jason Herzog (@JasonHerzogMMA) May 15, 2020
This is a move rarely seen by officials in the sport. Typically when there is controversy, referees are usually silent. However this did not sit right with Anthony Smith, who took to Twitter himself, to fire shots at the referee for this apology.
“Coward move on his part, in my opinion.
I make it a point before fights to know the commands, and what he expects out of each one before every fight. I did everything he asked and responded correctly per the pre fight meeting. Don’t wilt under a little heat afterwards cause Twitter is mean. The world is soft. Man up…”
Coward move on his part, in my opinion.
— Anthony Smith (@lionheartasmith) May 17, 2020
I make it a point before fights to know the commands, and what he expects out of each one before every fight. I did everything he asked and responded correctly per the pre fight meeting. Don’t wilt under a little heat afterwards cause Twitter is mean. The world is soft. Man up…
— Anthony Smith (@lionheartasmith) May 17, 2020
To be fair to Anthony Smith, he did defend himself according to the guidelines in place, which is why Jason Herzog did not stop the fight. On the other hand, the real consideration comes in terms of an accumulation of damage, which is the area many felt was lacking. It was not one big moment that was clear to stop the bout, but you have to think of the long-term safety of the athlete.
What do you think of the issues between Smith and Herzog?
