Dana White Believes Demetrious Johnson Should Have Been Penalized for Illegal Knee

No matter how good a fight ends up being, there can always be a little controversy interlaced with the result.

As was the case in the main event for UFC on Fox 6 as Demetrious Johnson defeated John Dodson to retain his title on Saturday night.

In the fourth round of a very close fight, Demetrious Johnson landed an illegal knee to the head of John Dodson, prompting a pause in the fight and a stern warning from referee “Big” John McCarthy. The move happened when Johnson had Dodson pinned against the cage with his hand down and the former Ultimate Fighter winner put his hand on the mat, which signifies a “down fighter”, which then makes knees to the head illegal.

While UFC President Dana White doesn’t necessarily agree with the rule and how fighters tempt fate by place their hand on the mat simply to avoid that particular strike, he believes Johnson should have been penalized for the infraction.

“I hate the hand down, I hate that “if I put my hand down, I don’t have to get kneed in the face”. I don’t like it. The reason that that’s there is for soccer kicks or knees when a guy is really down, not just technical “oh I’m down”, I don’t like it,” White told Fuel TV after the fights ended.

“I do think the point should have been taken away. Here’s the thing about it too, it was absolutely an illegal knee, but it was an illegal knee that caused damage too. After that he had a mouse on his eye, he definitely got damaged from it, it should have been a point taken away for that.”

The scores for the Johnson vs. Dodson fight came back 49-46, 48-47, and 48-47 and if the point had been deducted in the fourth round, which all 3 judges scored for the champion, the fight would have ended in a majority draw.

That said, White doesn’t want to definitively give his score for the fight, but the ultra close nature of the entire 25-minute affair could eventually lead to John Dodson getting another shot at Demetrious Johnson.

“I have to watch it again before I go talking out of order here because I was up and down and watching it, but I’m pretty sure I gave Dodson the first three rounds, if not I gave him two of the first three rounds,” said White.

“It was a great fight, it was a very close fight, it’s definitely a controversial fight in the scoring, but it was that close, too. The third round was pivotal and that illegal knee is a big deal.”