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Coach explains decision to stop Anthony Pettis at UFC 229: ‘When you’re a wounded animal in there, it’s easy to get taken out’

Anthony Pettis and Tony Ferguson put on one of the best fights of the year at Saturday night’s UFC 229, but Pettis coach Duke Roufus stopped the former champion from returning to the final round because of a broken hand.

Pettis continues to bounce between wins and losses since he returned to the lightweight division, but his coach doesn’t regret calling the bout at the T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas. For Roufus, the “Rocky movie culture” that “it ain’t over until is over” doesn’t do fighters any favors.

Speaking with Luke Thomas on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, Roufus said that Ferguson’s fighting style would make it ever harder to compete with if you have a fractured hand.