Marina Rodriguez upset with stoppage in knockout loss to Amanda Lemos: ‘You stopped too soon!’

Marina Rodriguez wasn’t happy with referee Jason Herzog after she suffered a knockout loss to Amanda Lemos in the UFC Vegas 64 main event.

In a statement made on social media following the fight, Rodriguez complained that the fight was stopped early after she ate a number of punches from Lemos, which prompted the referee to wave off the fight in the third round.

“You stopped too soon!” Rodriguez wrote on Twitter. “As a professional, I’m there to face a lot more, that’s what I’m in this game! It’s part of the game, win, lose, in different situations!

“We continue in our way! Thank you all for the support and cheerleading!”

The fight ended as Lemos unleashed full-power punches, gunning for the knockout against Rodriguez. The momentum shifted dramatically when she blasted Rodriguez with a huge right hook that put her fellow Brazilian on wobbly legs.

Lemos exploded forward with a jumping knee that missed, but Rodriguez was clearly dazed, and she put her hands up defensively while moving backward towards the cage. From there, Lemos opened up with a barrage of punches, and while a few missed, a couple of others landed. There was no real reaction from Rodriguez as she continued to absorb punishment.

With no clear sign that Rodriguez was going to respond and Lemos still throwing strikes, Herzog stepped in between them to call a halt to the action. Rodriguez immediately protested, but replays seemed to back Herzog’s decision.

Either way, Rodriguez didn’t agree with the decision, and now she’ll leave UFC Vegas 64 with a loss on her record, which stops a four-fight winning streak. It also knocks her out of title contention after many believed a victory on Saturday could make her the No. 1 contender in the strawweight division.