Newcomer Max Rohskopf (5-1) had not expected to start in the UFC Vegas 3, when he retired after the second round of his fight against Austin Hubbard (12-4) at the opening of the preliminary map on Saturday night.
The problem in all this according to several observers: the attitude of his coach Robert Drysdale, to whom Rohskopf repeated nine times that he wanted Drysdale to throw the towel during the break between the second and the third. Drysdale did not want to hear anything and tried to convince his foal, then unbeaten, to return to fight.
Rohskopf hopeful prospect who accepted the fight on five days’ notice, did well in the first round, but seemed to run out of gas in the tank before the end of the second. He then took several good shots and returned to his corner with a worst cut at the level of the left eye.
It was only when the third round was to start that the fighter spoke directly to the officials, indicating that he did not wish to continue.
“I don’t want to go back there anymore. I don’t have it,” Rohskopf told Drysdale. “No. Everything is fine. You are a champion. Stop,” replied the coach.
Drysdale’s attitude has been criticised by several observers. ESPN journalist Ariel Helwani relayed the footage in a tweet in which he described the behavior of the Rohskopf locals as reckless.
“This is infuriating. I counted Max saying “call it” nine times in this sequence. And that’s in addition to the other times he clearly wanted out. Absolute reckless behavior by his corner.” Helwani posted.
Drysdale, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist and former UFC athlete who fought in mixed martial arts until 2016, defended himself in an interview with ESPN.
“I’m comfortable with what I’ve done. I expect excellence from those I train because I love them. He was not seriously injured and I felt he needed to be pushed. I would expect the same from my coach. It is the role of the coach to push the limits of his fighters physically, technically and mentally.” Drysdale said.
