Over the weekend Valentina Shevchenko put on an impressive showcase for her striking:

Only Mario Yamasaki would let someone get out struck 217 to 1 and not stop the fight #UFCBelem pic.twitter.com/qtzcLBwhp3

— . (@Dynasteh) February 4, 2018

While Sampaio defended CABMMA’s decision to sanction the fight, he indicated action is forthcoming on Yamasaki’s status.

Here is Sampaio’s statement, sent via email:

“The Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA) has discussed the stoppage with referee Mario Yamaski at the post-fight meeting held at venue with all of the officials assigned for the event. We made it clear all of our concerns regarding the incident.

“Priscilla Cachoeira demonstrated toughness and heart during the two rounds, but those are two attitudes that should not interfere or confuse the referee when it comes to stoppages. In the first round, in the last couple of minutes, it was clear that Priscilla could not defend herself efficiently nor technically. That reflected directly on the judges scores, all three giving it a 10-8 (score). Round 2 was the same, but obviously with Priscilla not physically recovered enough from the previous round to demonstrate her chance against Valentina, the fight should have been called off right in the initial moments. And if the fight wasn’t called off, it would have been a clear 10-7, due to what we considered an overwhelming dominance and significant impact in the round.

“As to the matchmaking, the fight was approved by CABMMA. If it was not well matched, and that was being evidently demonstrated during the fight, it should have been identified by the referee in charge, as he is the highest authority in that moment, and his role is to protect the fighter at all times, including stopping the fight at the proper moment.

“CABMMA understands that errors can occur from all aspects, but they should be recognized and corrected to avoid similar cases in the future. And in a sport where the main concern is the fighter’s health and integrity, from the regulators’ standpoint we should do everything possible to minimize the risk of a scenario such as the one of this weekend.

“Mario Yamasaki has been one of the best referees in MMA for the past decade and played a key role in helping our commission build the team of officials. We will discuss the next steps together and decide what is certainly best for all parts involved in the process.”

This is in agreement with Dana White’s judgement of the performance:

 Priscilla Cachoeira, you showed so much heart and toughness in that fight. I’m honored to have you fight in the UFC. Unfortunately the ref is there to protect you and Mario DID NOT do that. This isn’t his first disgusting performance in the octagon. Another unfortunate thing is that i can’t do anything about I️t only the Brazilian commission can and i am hoping after this scary, incompetent showing he hopefully will never set foot in that Octagon again. Strikes landed was 230-3.

Yamasaki responded:

 “In the second round, I signaled to ‘Pedrita’ that if she didn’t move I’d stop the bout.” Yamasaki told MMAjunkie through a statement issued by his representative. “Every time I went to stop it, I signaled it to her, and she moved in an attempt to escape the blows. Unfortunately, I also can’t control the number of strikes that are thrown. Again, while she’s looking for a turnaround, she’s in the game. Fighters go through periods of great effort and dedication in order to be there. MMA is a contact sport, and no fighter likes to have the fight interrupted without a chance to reverse the outcome.

“The way I see it, I allowed ‘Pedrita’ to be a warrior and keep fighting. I could have stopped the fight in the second crucifix or in the mount, but she was moving at all times. I also recognize I should have stopped it on the first tap of the rear-naked choke, and I only stopped a few seconds later. As for other people’s opinions, they (again) have their right to issue them.”

Of course the UFC is in a transitional period in regards to refs thanks to a crippling grappling injury Big John McCarthy suffered in grappling

John McCarthy Talks BJJ Neck Injury That Briefly Left Him Paralyzed On One Side