Robbie Lawler and Dana White weren’t alone in questioning the stoppage of Lawler’s controversial fight against Ben Askren at UFC 235.
Lawler suffered a technical submission loss to Askren on Saturday night after referee Herb Dean stopped the contest midway through the first round. With Lawler caught in a tight bulldog choke next to the fence, Dean lifted Lawler’s dangling left arm to check for consciousness then quickly called a stop to the contest, only to have Lawler immediately jump up and protest the decision. Replay appeared to show afterward that Lawler flashed a thumbs-up sign to Dean during the fight-ending sequence, indicating that he was okay.