Luke Riley is happy about his win at UFC 329, it doesn’t matter what others say.
After Riley knocked out Kai Kamaka III within the first spherical on Saturday, controversy rapidly erupted as referee Kelly Hatley referred to as for a stoppage with Kamaka slammed in opposition to the cage however nonetheless on his ft. Execs criticized the decision on social media, with cageside commentator Joe Rogan additionally questioning Hatley’s determination.
In that evening’s postgame press convention, Riley was advised that Logan didn’t consent to the stoppage of the sport, and he responded to his feedback and on-line criticism.
“He did not?” Riley stated. “They misplaced their minds. Actually, if they’d two extra seconds, (Kamaka) would have been face down on the canvas. It was a bit disconcerting, man. I do not know what to say to that.”
“I do not assume you must watch the combat should you assume that was some sort of early stoppage, however that is the truth.”
Whatever the controversy, this was one other knockout victory for the undefeated Riley, who has completed 10 of his 14 fights with strikes. After incomes a unanimous determination over Michael Aswell in his final combat, Riley was excited to go away it within the palms of the judges, reminding followers simply how harmful the stand-up recreation may be.
“Folks nonetheless vastly underestimate my energy,” Riley stated. “You don’t have any thought how onerous it’s. In actual fact, I do know I am the toughest employee on this division, a million %.”
“You realize, my final combat, perhaps the co-main influenced the truth that I used to be a bit too nervous and too onerous. This time I got here in relaxed and within the second and if I contact any person’s chin, it is like I stated ‘bedtime’ within the cage, and yeah, that is all she wrote.”
For Kamaka, this was the third knockout loss in his 27-fight profession and the primary time he succumbed to blows since his final UFC stint in 2020. Kamaka was not dropped by Riley’s blow, however appeared visibly shocked, even after Hatley made the save.
From Riley’s perspective, issues would solely worsen for Kamaka if the combat continued.
“He was a harm animal simply attempting to outlive and was going to go down if the referee did not cease the combat,” Riley stated. “Sure, the referee did a really, superb job. If he hadn’t, he would have been mendacity face down on the canvas. That would not have been a great look, wouldn’t it?”
