Jamahal Hill doesn’t blame referee Al Guinee for late stoppage in Paul Craig fight at UFC 263: “He gave me a chance to try to pull off something spectacular”

Jamahal Hill doesn’t blame referee Al Guinee at UFC 263, saying that “he gave me a chance to try to pull off something spectacular.”

Hill had his arm dislocated by a first-round armbar by Craig in their UFC 263 pay-per-view opener. Craig pulled guard and was quickly able to get Hill into a vulnerable position with his limb, which led to it being dislocated. However, the referee didn’t see the injury and the fight continued, with Craig continuing to rain down blows on his opponent’s head while he was in his guard. The referee then finally stopped the fight due to TKO (punches).

There was an uproar following the fight as many fans and media felt like the referee didn’t adequately do his job of protecting the fighters. Even UFC president Dana White criticized Guinee at the UFC 263 post-fight press conference. But as far as Hill is concerned, he doesn’t hold any sort of grudge towards the referee for stopping the fight when he did.

Speaking to TMZ Sports, Hill said that he holds no ill will towards Guinee, suggesting that the referee let him have a chance to pull off an unbelievable finish to win the fight.

“He gave me a chance to try to pull off something spectacular. If I was one of my guys, I would have wanted him to protect them. But it’s kind of hard to say that with me with the heart I have. Me, I wanted to try to get that knockout still,” Hill said.

The loss to Craig was the first defeat for Hill in his professional MMA career. He was the No. 15 ranked light heavyweight coming into the matchup with Craig at UFC 263.

What did you think of the stoppage from referee Al Guinee in the Jamahal Hill vs. Paul Craig fight at UFC 263?