UFC coach Robert Drysdale is standing by his choice not to stop the fight for Max Rohskopf at UFC on ESPN 11, even though the fighter repeatedly asked for it to be called off.
Rohskopf, who took the fight with only five days’ notice, suffered his first defeat when he quit against Austin Hubbard just before the third round of their lightweight match at the UFC’s Apex venue in Las Vegas.
During a break between rounds, Drysdale and Rohskopf had a heated exchange where Rohskopf insisted he was done and wanted his coach to tell the referee to end the fight.
Drysdale later defended his decision, stating that he believed he acted correctly and that he would make the same choice again.
“I’d do it again,” Drysdale told MMA Fighting. “If I could change one thing, I would have insisted more because he wasn’t hurt.
The trainer explained his role as pushing the athlete both technically, physically, and mentally to the extreme, emphasizing that Rohskopf was tired and needed a mental push to continue.
Drysdale remained unworried by the criticism, asserting that Rohskopf’s loss was due to cardio issues and not an overwhelming defeat.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission is reportedly looking into the end of the fight, but Drysdale stands by his actions and his concern for his fighter’s well-being.
