Edson Barboza and Dan Hooker competed in the co-main event of UFC On Fox 31, with Barboza picking up a third round knockout victory.
UFC President Dana White was in attendance on that night and he believes that the co-main event should’ve been stopped earlier than it was.
”He’s got nothing to be upset about. He showed a ton of toughness tonight, a ton of heart,” White said on the UFC On Fox 31 post-fight show. “Fight actually should have been stopped earlier than it was.”
Hooker took quite the beating in the third round from Barboza, including some vicious leg kicks, strikes to the head and kicks to the midsection.
Late stoppage or not, one thing White believes is that Barboza put on a great performance at the event.
”And Edson Barboza? Wow,” he added. “That kid came out tonight and made a statement. He’s nasty.”
A report from Ariel Helwani of ESPN states that Hooker was taken to a local hospital after the event, as the fighter may have suffered a concussion during the three round war against Barboza. Hooker has now suffered his fourth loss in the UFC and the first since moving to the lightweight division.
