Photo by Esther Lin / Showtime
At Saturday night's Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine card, "King Mo" Muhammed Lawal ran through Lorenz Larkin with relative ease. The finishing flurry of punches seemed to go on far too long as referee Kim Winslow was very slow to jump in and stop the fight despite Larkin turning away and just trying to cover his face.
Lawal was clearly upset about the late stoppage in the cage but waited until the post-fight presser to really go off about it. Via MMA Diehards:
"The commission, they need to do something with her. Let her take a fight or something and give her a bad ref. Let her fight Cyborg or something. Let her fight 'Cyborg' and then let's do a late stoppage of her. Because I watched her almost get Jan Finney killed by 'Cyborg.' I think the tables need to be turned. Put me in there as a ref and I'll just do a terrible job like her. I heard people from the crowd yelling to stop it and she jumps in all late. I told her, 'Hey you should have stopped the fight earlier.' And she's like, 'Well, I wanted to give him every opportunity to bounce back, so if it takes for him to be asleep. That's what it is.' She never took a punch before so it's easy for her to say that."
I generally think Winslow is underrated as a referee but her performance in that fight was bad. If anything, this is a good reminder of the fact that almost all of these guys have no interest in hurting the man they're fighting. They just want to win, not put the guy in the hospital or damage his life down the road.
0 recs | 76 comments
Oh, he mad.
MicahtheCynic - January 9, 2012
He defended her late stoppage at the post-fight interview.
Guess he had a change of heart.
mma.ly - January 9, 2012
I am too.
She’s fucking terrible, and I’m sorry but if even a LW loses his shit and goes Platoon in there what’s she gonna do about it?
Or what if she was officiating Chuck Babalu, or Hendricks Fitch? Fitch would have Fitched the fuck out of her because he was not fully checked in. Babalu might have actually tore her knee up with a heel hook!
Shotokanman - January 9, 2012
Lolwut
There are lots of tiny dude referees in combat sports too, you know. No idea what that has to do with anything.
ihateemo - January 9, 2012 via mobile
My point is if it was Kim instead of Big John in those cases she would have got fucked up.
Shotokanman - January 9, 2012
Real chivalrous comment here by Mo.
Fake Emcee - January 9, 2012
Next time she referees King Mo and someone lands a couple of punches on him, she’ll stop the fight immediately, and he won’t be able to complain whatsoever!
Shnak - January 9, 2012
Point completely missed.
Hendo_One-Shot - January 9, 2012
Sarcasm completely missed.
MicahtheCynic - January 9, 2012
At least he doesn’t sound like Mir
Anr - January 9, 2012
Before the fights go down I bet you any fighter would pick "taking extra shots" to "early stoppage"
ESPECIALLY someone angling for a title shot or fighting for the title. That stoppage wasn’t super awful, the Finney-Cyborg one was bad but Finney was intelligently defending herself from what I remember. The rules leave those judgements up to the ref but they could use a little tightening up.
menckenstein - January 9, 2012
Maybe a fighter, thinking opportunity/money/career first would prefer extra shots
But as a fan, I don’t want to see anyone take any more punishment than is necessary.
If Lavigne had stepped in and stopped Edgar-Maynard 2…I would not have complained one bit.
Chris Groves - January 9, 2012
In many ways, it’s fights like Edgar-Maynard 2 and Lesnar-Carwin that have set a precedent for a more lax approach to stopping fights. Comebacks are ruining MMA.
Pyrgz Krum - January 9, 2012
Exactly
Remember the moment where Edgar was sent rolling across the Octagon against Maynard? The fight wasn’t stopped.
But then back in June of 2010 you had Leben vs Simpson where the fight was stopped off of a similar dazed roll that Simpson did…
Chris Groves - January 9, 2012
Come to think of it
As a fighter, who knows if those extra shots when you are out/going out are the ones that are going to shorten your career that much more, make your layoff that much longer or something like that.
If I’m Yves Edwards or Demien Maia…I would have personally thanked Sam Stout and Nate Marquardt for stopping themselves from delivering extra blows…
I know I sure as hell would feel bad if I ever threw more shots than necessary just because the ref wants to give them more of a chance.
Chris Groves - January 9, 2012
Playing neurologists' advocate here
Yves and Demian were donezo, they didn’t argue the stoppage and had no idea what planet they were on. Edgar and Brock came out in the next round, didn’t quit on the stool and eventually won big.
menckenstein - January 9, 2012
I wasn't saying anything about the stoppages
More on the respect Nate and Stout showed in not delivering extra shots when they didn’t need to.
Unlike a certain f’cking Brendan Schaub who stared at an unconscious Cro Cop for 2 seconds before moving in and bouncing his head off the matt again.
And the more I think about it, even Hendo, as much as Bisping deserved it, slamming an extra shot into Bisping was a bit much…that sort of thing isn’t very cool.
Chris Groves - January 9, 2012
Sorry I was kind of trying to do a catch-all reply there and missed your point
Yeah it’s always great when a fighter knows their opponent is done and leaves it at that versus going for some brutal fatality move (even if it makes a crazy hilarious meme). Loved it when Lawler helped place Lindland’s legs down gently, or when Hunt just walks away off that uppercut. Badass moments.
menckenstein - January 9, 2012
slap yo self.
gspmademegay - January 9, 2012
Edgar won big?
Tehachipi - January 10, 2012
Yeah it's called a championship title
Remember the 4th round of the 3rd fight?
menckenstein - January 10, 2012
I respect that opinion
But I have to ask: Wouldn’t you love MMA less if refs stopped fights the way you seem to want them to? Because I love fights like Edgar-Maynard, Kongo-Barry and Lesnar-Carwin, and if you told me we were never going to get another fight like that again, I would love MMA less.
MichaelDavidSmith - January 9, 2012
I prefer more uniformity
Than to have moments during a fight where I’m openly questioning why it isn’t being stopped. Sure…you get guys like Kongo and Edgar that can survive…and all of that damage will catch up to them eventually. But for each of them, there are plenty of fights that go on too long.
Lesnar-Carwin wasn’t too bad…I mean, after that main barrage, the shots were coming slow.
Chris Groves - January 9, 2012
I’ve seen fights stopped where less damage was being done, and the fighter on the bottom was doing more to defend himself, than Lesnar-Carwin.
MichaelDavidSmith - January 9, 2012
Kongo vs Barry, too. Diaz vs Daley, also. Nobody sane would have complained if these fights had been stopped before they did…
Shnak - January 9, 2012
Right, but that's kind of one of the points of having a ref
is so there’s a neutral party looking out for the fighter, so any mix of self-interests don’t blind a fighter or their camp to the point the fighter is hurt
ChicagoMMAFan - January 9, 2012
For someone asking for a media ban against Gegard
he should really apply one to himself, two wrongs don’t make a right.
His new name should be Mo the Jester.
elmojo - January 9, 2012
tank says:
‘what a pussy.’
gspmademegay - January 9, 2012
Rampage would put him to sleep in the 2nd round. Unless he decides to hump him.
evenflow10 - January 9, 2012 via mobile
Well, duh
Not quite sure what it has to do with this though.
MicahtheCynic - January 9, 2012
But, Mo, then you would become what you hate!
Earl Montclair - January 9, 2012
You might make his head explode with that kind of paradox.
Fake Emcee - January 9, 2012
my entire goal at that point is to grab his crown and hit the pawn shop
Earl Montclair - January 9, 2012
So they can tell you it's made of chocolate?
Fake Emcee - January 9, 2012
it.....it's made of chocolate and not......but......
Earl Montclair - January 9, 2012
Is that Reh Dogg?
Loathesome brute
Cunny - January 9, 2012
Mo always makes sure to cool his head before it explodes.
Machiel Van - January 9, 2012
He's even better at fake-drinking a disgusting energy drink as KenFlo
I mean some of it did go into his mouth but he spat it all out pretty quick.
And that photo is pretty badass.
menckenstein - January 9, 2012
I watched it back
And at first I wasn’t really fussed about the stoppage. Second time around, yes it was late, but shit, Larkin has a killer chin, he just kept eating those shots and wouldn’t go out, it kinda felt like it should keep going on until he went out,
However strange that may sound
WanderChe - January 9, 2012
OT: After the last BE Radio, I have a question. What would happen if King Mo trained with a clone of King Mo? Would Clone Mo make King Mo so powerful that no one could stop him?
Or would he still get merked by Feijao?
MicahtheCynic - January 9, 2012
Feijao and Gegard would use the secret fusion technique to become Feijard Mousalcante
After destroying King Mo they’d scatter the moneyballs to the far corners of Planet Winslow so no one could wish him backl
menckenstein - January 9, 2012
it was far from the worst stoppage that i’ve ever seen. not to mention, if larkin wanted out, he could have tapped or verbally submitted. it wasn’t a great stoppage, but like i said, it wasn’t awful.
tha dude - January 9, 2012
I would pay to watch a TLC match with Cyborg v Skeletor (Kim Winslow) with gues reff Moe
the jewish conquistador - January 9, 2012
There can be only one Skelator and he is Stephen Quadros.
Thank you.
RECE ROCK - January 9, 2012
Before every fighter, each fighter should fill out a form
where they can check off a box, either “take extra shots” or “early stoppage” and the ref can err on that side when stopping the fight involving their safety.
Ikuhisa Quinoa - January 9, 2012
Box 3: "I just got caught"
menckenstein - January 9, 2012
*Before every fight
Ikuhisa Quinoa - January 9, 2012
Hypothetically:
If, as it appeared, Larkin really was done, couldn’t Mo have forced Winslow’s hand by stopping the assault and walking off?
some schmuck in texas - January 9, 2012
Could've
But that’s not his job.
menckenstein - January 9, 2012
You obviously risk a Palhares style 'no, come back and finish' result.
But it could almost as easily go the other way.
some schmuck in texas - January 9, 2012
Funny thing is...Palhares actually believes he notched two wins in his belt that evening... True Story.
RECE ROCK - January 9, 2012
I heard someone yell
“Quit!” during that fight.
TheFilt - January 9, 2012
It was the other guy's knee
menckenstein - January 9, 2012
nice
nice
RECE ROCK - January 9, 2012
I'm thinking here about the bizarre stop and start stoppage about a year ago
Levigne was the ref, I think, and Matt Brown was just shitkicking his guy and after Yves (unaccountably) started the fight again, Brown kept on looking at him after every undefended punch and shrugging like ‘ok…now?’
some schmuck in texas - January 9, 2012
Glad he brought this up
Even if he went too far with it
Delighted he brought up the Finney fight
I’m still all cunty about that
Cunny - January 9, 2012
Didn't Mo back the timeliness of the stoppage in the post-fight speech?
He said something about how if it was him, if he wasn’t asleep, he wouldn’t want it stopped?
Pantherhare - January 9, 2012
Yeah I think he was being polite or trying to see her side since Winslow had just spoken to him prior to post fight interview.
UncleMax - January 9, 2012
@Pantherhare msg
UncleMax - January 9, 2012
Earlier last week, I watched Jeremy Stephens vs Marcus Davis again...
And after defending her as a capable referee, Kim Winslow was way out of position when Stephens landed the KO shot on Davis. So much so, that Stephens had time to land the same kind of diving shot on an unconscious Davis that Hendo landed on Bisping.
Then she does all this on Saturday. Way to make me feel like an asshole for defending you, Kim.
The Hamburger Pimp - January 9, 2012 via mobile
I have long complained that she stands too far from the fighters during the stand-up.
Bolshevik - January 9, 2012
Its really kind of funny
Watching mma fans grapple with either agreeing with the cocky (mma fan lingo for uppity) King Mo or defend Kim Winslow who does have an inconsistent record with good and late stoppages.
It seems the truth is only good when it comes from someone you like lol. Stay salty mma fans.
The Blackula - January 9, 2012
Use of "uppity" and "salty"... salt is white... Kim Winslow is white... and a woman... username The Blackula
I knew it… you’re a cat person. Nice throw pillows, you big nancy!
menckenstein - January 9, 2012
Pretty much
People making fun of Mo’s tweets, apparently not knowing that he gets tons of racial charged hate tweets everyday.
TheFilt - January 9, 2012
Which tweets are people making fun of ?
The only ones I’ve seen posted on BE are his trash talk against other fighters.
menckenstein - January 9, 2012
Just two days ago
He was saying that people were dumb for thinking he didn’t want to go to the UFC.
People talked a bunch of shit about him and his twitter account.
I’d probably be the same way if i had hundreds of ignorant bigots saying ridiculous racist shit to me, too/
TheFilt - January 9, 2012
People are shitty assholes
But silver lining is: you have a lot of haters = you made it.
menckenstein - January 9, 2012
By that logic
Jon Jones must have made it 10x over last year.
The Blackula - January 9, 2012
he did
Cunny - January 9, 2012
Bentley, ESPN magazine, ESPN appearances, interviews, endorsements, oh right and that lil belt thingy someone gave him for some reason.
menckenstein - January 9, 2012
Definitely made it.
GreyedOut - January 9, 2012
AAAAGH!
MicahtheCynic - January 9, 2012
MichaelDavidSmith "wouldn't you love MMA less" gem.
Wouldn’t you like to think that your favorite Fighters might be able to hold a conversation with their Children and Grand Children, as they age?
If Lavigne had done his job and stopped Maynard/Edgar 2 after an unprecedented beating, Edgar could have avoided similar damage in Houston.
A Refs job, protect the fighters.
Tehachipi - January 9, 2012
I only recall seeing Winslow like five times, and there's at least three very bad refereeing performances from her.
Get rid of her.
James Brady - January 9, 2012
She is a horrible, horrible ref.
Fun story, being a woman and all. But a horrid ref. If she were a man, she’d be relegated to small time regional shows and never heard from again. Get her out of bigger fights like this. Really, get her out of reffing completely.
In before the “Fuck you sexist!” comments, also.
Jonathan. - January 9, 2012
No issue with the stoppage and Mo did not either during the post fight interview.
Kefka - January 9, 2012
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