Max Rohskopf Released from UFC After Quitting on Stool in Promotional Debut

Inside the corner of Max Rohskopf before the fight is called off at #UFCVegas3 pic.twitter.com/hZrfnaMObt

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 20, 2020

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Max Rohskopf’s initial stint in the Ultimate Fighting Championship was a brief one, as he was released from the Las Vegas-based promotion following his loss to Austin Hubbard at UFC on ESPN 11.

MMAFighting.com was first to report the news. Rohskopf accepted the lightweight bout against Hubbard on one week’s notice and visibly gassed out in the second round. After enduring a lopsided beating in the frame Rohskopf asked his corner to call the fight, but cornerman Robert Drysdale endured some criticism for pushing his fighter to pull through.

Ultimately, the contest was called off before the beginning of Round 3, giving Rohskopf his first professional defeat. In the aftermath, UFC president Dana White defended Rohskopf’s decision to ask out of the bout.

“He’s got to get up tomorrow morning and look at himself in the mirror and figure out who he is and what he wants to do,” White said. “There is no shame in getting here and finding out you’re not it. There’s no shame in that at all.

“You gave it a shot, it didn’t work out. Anybody who would try to ridicule a kid like that, f—k you. Come try it. Come try and do what he did tonight. Very few people can do it.”

Prior to his Octagon debut, the former North Carolina State University wrestler accumulated a 5-0 record on the regional scene, winning all of his bouts via submission inside of two rounds.