Lauren Murphy suffered a brutal beating at the hands of former champion Jessica Andrade on Saturday night.
Murphy and Andrade met as part of the UFC 283 main card in a battle of the top ten flyweight contenders. What occurred was nothing short of a beatdown as Andrade punished Murphy for the full 15-minute duration. Landing strikes at will, Murphy had absolutely no answers and was virtually unrecognizable long before the final bell rang. Many within the MMA community criticized both the presiding referee and Murphy’s corner for letting the contest go the distance when it was clear that Murphy was no match for her opponent.
Hooker Urges for Rules to be Implemented Following Murphy’s Defeat
Lightweight contender Dan Hooker shared his thoughts on the contest and what could potentially be done to prevent unnecessary damage like this from happening in mixed martial arts going forward.
“I feel like if that was boxing, that would have been stopped,” Hooker said while speaking to The AllStar on YouTube. “Probably after the first round or pretty close after that. Boxing’s obviously been around a lot longer so you can see the outcome it has on fighters. I believe, and I feel like most of professional boxing, once it stops becoming a sporting endeavor and a sporting contest, they kind of just stop the fight. You’ll see that in a lot of professional boxing. One guy is getting outclassed and hasn’t landed shots for a while, you’ll see a referee step in and say, ‘That’s enough.'”
“I feel like we’re being paid for a sporting endeavor and no boundary has been set by… No clear line has been set by coaches or commissions or referees or even the doctors that are being employed. No one’s putting their hands up. They all just kind of stare at each other and just be like, ‘You do it. No, you do it.’ Everyone’s pretty hands off and no one’s set a clear boundary. I feel like that’ll come down to the commission once a fight is crossing a line of being a sporting endeavor.”
“I knew she was durable but not like that. I had to stop throwing punches because my hands started hurting”
Jessica Andrade couldn’t believe how tough Lauren Murphy was. pic.twitter.com/CBr66dx5Tu
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) January 23, 2023
The question is, where is that line drawn? It’s difficult to say considering each fight and situation is viewed differently by MMA fans. Those calling for Lauren Murphy’s corner to throw in the towel were more than happy to see Glover Teixeira continue to fight under similar circumstances in the UFC 283 main event against Jamahal Hill. Is it different when we have an emotional investment in a fight? Perhaps we’re still not entirely comfortable seeing women scrap inside the Octagon.
We can’t really say for certain one way or the other, but one thing we do know is that the first priority of referees and cornermen is to protect the fighters. Needless to say, both failed Lauren Murphy on Saturday night.
“Once it crosses the line into just a sideshow or freakshow, someone needs to put their hand up and say, ‘I’ve seen enough,'” Hooker concluded.
Do you share the same viewpoint as Dan Hooker regarding Lauren Murphy’s loss to Jéssica Andrade?
