MMA POV Hot Topic of the Week: The Ref of His Corner; Who Dropped The Ball In Protecting Anthony Smith? During the @lionheartasmith / @gloverteixeira main event of Wednesday night’s UFC Fight Night in Jacksonville, Smith endured a barrage of strikes that sent shockwaves through the MMA community. Second round, Texiera landed a shot to Smith’s eye that turned the tide of this fight. From there, Texiera continued pounding away at Smith, first on the feet, then to the ground. Smith, showed signs of a fighter with fight left in him, which maybe why referee Jason Herzog allowed the fight to continue until he finally waved it off with just 1:40 left in the fifth and final round. As respectful as it is for Smith to press on and be a warrior, he was being bludgeoned. There is footage of Smith handing Herzog the two teeth he lost during the bout. Other injuries include a broken nose, broken orbital bone, a cut under his eye and a busted cauliflower ear. There’s also footage where Smith tells his cornermen his teeth are falling out and they respond by giving him breathing instructions. Now that the table has been set, who would you say failed to protect Smith, the referee of his corner? Furthermore, should MMA implement boxing’s tradition of throwing in the towel for moments such as these? #MMAPOVPodcast #HotTopicOfTheWeek #WhoFailedAtProtectingSmith #TheReferee #SmithsCorner https://www.instagram.com/p/CALBkI6Hxav/?igshid=tiwggtmdw7xw
