By Katrina Belcher (KatrinaBelcher@mmaratings.net)
After the Joseph Benavidez vs. Rani Yahya MMA fight on Saturday night at WEC 45: Cerrone vs. Ratcliff at the Palms in Las Vegas, Nev., a lot of people, including some here in Knoxville, have said the stoppage by referee Kim Winslow was early.
I don’t get it. If you look closely at this video, she did an excellent job of staying out of the way, letting the fight go to the mat and stay there, until Rani Yahya was not only NOT defending himself, but his head was bouncing up and down. What, she was supposed to let it keep going on?
STRIKEFORCE: Evolution – Joseph Benavidez vs. Rani Yahya
Kim Winslow is a seasoned MMA referee and she did an excellent job in this fight. Period.
I’ll tell you what I do find strange, however. If you go to the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s website, under "Referees" for MMA, there are two:
- MMA & Kickboxing Referee – Steve Mazzagatti
- MMA Referee – Kim Winslow
That’s it. So where’s Herb Dean, Dan Miragliotta, Yves Lavigne, Mario Yamasaki, Josh Rosenthal and all the other refs we see at the WEC and UFC fights?
Interesting, huh?
