Who is Kerry Hatley being slammed by MMA community for horrific late call in Bobby Green vs Jalin Turner?

Bobby Green and Jalin Turner clashed in the co-main event at UFC Austin, a bout now infamous for the actions of referee Kerry Hatley. Despite Green being knocked out cold by Turner, Hatley was notably late in calling off the fight.

Consequently, Green endured unnecessary blows from Turner, with Turner himself later acknowledging the shots as unnecessary in hindsight. Green was the topic of debate throughout the fight week due to an altercation he had with Arman Tsarukyan and his crew. Tsarukyan won his fight with a first-round KO against Beneil Dariush.

Who is Kerry Hatley?

Kerry Hatley, a combat sports referee since 2007, is a native of Midland, Texas. His first assignment was at UFC 69, where he officiated three fights in the PPV. Since then, Kerry Hatley has officiated in various mainstream and local MMA promotions, including Dana White’s Power Slap League.

In addition to his role as a referee, he has held the position of Senior Vice President at GR Energy Services since December 2021. Before that, Hatley served as the President of Peak Completion Technologies for 15 years. Primarily officiating fights in Southern States such as Texas, Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, California, and Nevada.

Hatley has become a subject of discussion due to his delayed stoppage in the fight between Jalin Turner and Bobby Green. He permitted Turner to deliver follow-up shots after Green was dropped by a punch to the temple.

This bout marked Hatley’s second assignment at UFC Austin. In his initial assignment on the Fight Night event, he oversaw the main card opener between Dustin Stoltzfus and Punahele Soriano, where Soriano was submitted via a rear-naked choke in the second round.

Pros react to awfully late stoppage

The late stoppage by Hatley of the Bobby Green vs Jalin Turner fight was widely criticized by fighters on social media. Retired champions, Daniel Cormier and Michael Bisping also commentated on the fight and voiced their dissent at the commentary booth.

Furthermore, Gilbert Burns, Dustin Poirier, Terrance McKinney, Brandon Royval, and Juliana Pena, among others, expressed their displeasure on X, formerly Twitter. Virtually nobody supported the stoppage. In addition to vocalizing his dissatisfaction on air, Cormier tweeted, stating that it was the worst stoppage in UFC history.

“That was fucking ridiculous what was the ref doing,” tweeted Brandon Royval who will be fighting for the flyweight title at UFC 296. “Maaan horrible stoppage,” tweeted Dustin Poirier who was knocked out cold with a head kick by Justin Gaethje at UFC 291 for the BMF title. Gilbert Burns was very upset as he tweeted, “F🤬🤬k that ref”.

Moreover, Derek Brunson credited Bobby Green as a tough fighter but called the stoppage very bad. The same was the sentiment of Terrance McKinney who was one of the names rumored to fight Green on short notice after the Dan Hooker injury.

What do you think of the stoppage by Kerry Hatley? Comment below!