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Being a referee in MMA is perhaps one of the most thankless jobs out there. They aren't supposed to be noticed until it's necessary. Furthermore, an MMA referee's job is under the microscope of anyone involved with mixed martial arts.
If the calls and stoppages are great, then that's just them doing their job. Opposite, if anything is peculiar or late in the slightest, then it could prove to be very chaotic and harmful to the referee's career.
With that being said, it is a warranted pressure on the shoulders of MMA referees. Although the record and win bonus are contingent on adept refereeing, the fighter's safety is of the utmost priority when being the third person in the ring or cage.
Having a knee-jerk judgment to determine whether or not a fighter can defend themselves or if they're unable to compete is tough, which is why not many are raising their hands to take the referee position. Again, a thankless job that is typically done well. Howver, every profession has blunders; here are 5 of the worst calls by MMA referees.
#5. Jai Herbert vs. Francis Trinaldo
One of the most exciting aspects of MMA is that the figurative 'hail Mary' is looming over a fight no matter how won it seems to be. As Jai Herbert was getting the best of the seasoned Franscico Trinaldo, the Brazilian was able to void what was a great performance with a come-from-behind knockout. The overhand left was fired and it floored Herbert.
It seemed that everyone in the building thought that the fight was over -- Dan Hardy and Paul Felder were commentating and considered it done while Trinaldo stopped himself from making unnecessary follow-up shots. The only person who thought that the fight wasn't over was the referee, Herb Dean.
After a very unnecessary four shots landed on the finished fighter, Dan Hardy couldn't bite his tongue as he screamed for Dean to stop the fight. This was a very controversial move that led to the firing of Hardy. Dean claimed that it was dangerous because he misconstrued Hardy's pleas with the voice of a a cornering coach, which could impact a fight greatly.
Although Hardy could've handled it better and not accosted Herb Dean after the match was over, it came from a good place and the stoppage is almost universally agreed to be a terrible one.
Check out: Complete list of the UFC Referees
#4. Drew Dober vs. Leandro Silva
It's absolutely crucial that judges, commentators and referees alike know what they're looking at while they're working. This is amplified by the person in the referee role. Positions can get pretty weird and it's hard to tell exactly what's going on. Although that happens often, it's the awareness of the referee that will dictate the end or continuation of the bout.
Along with situations that are hard to read, there are more that a very rudimentary understanding of the sport would be helpful in. When Leandro Silva dropped down and elected the bottom position to attack a guillotine choke, a very collected Dober did the correct thing and threw his legs over to a side that would keep him safe from the choke.
Not only was this a tell-tale sign that Dober was safe, but the referee, Eduardo Herdy, even checked his arm in order to tell if he was conscious or not. Granted, these decisions are made on the spot, but every possible sign alluded to Dober making the right moves to protect himself from Silva's threats. The stoppage was so egregious, the athletic commission later changed this from a loss to a "no contest".
#3. Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos vs. Benoit Saint-Denis
It's not often that a referee is removed from an event for questionable officiating. When Dos Santos locked horns with Saint-Dennis, it started very exciting but drifted into a hard-to-watch fight.
Referee Vyacheslav Kiselev had the commentator booth pleading for the action to be stopped as a very defeated Saint-Denis took far more damage than necessary at the hands of a reluctant Dos Santos.
Great sportsmanship was shown, as the Brazilian was protesting, having to further damage his opponent. The fight ended up going to the judges and nobody was happy with it. Kiselev was pulled from any further duties on the UFC 267 card.
#2. Erick Silva vs. Carlo Prater
Erick Silva's sophomore outing was about to be more impressive than his 40-second UFC debut victory. It only took him 29-seconds to force Mario Yamasaki to step in and protect his opponent, Carlo Prater.
While everyone in attendance was in awe over how smoothly Silva was able to get the job done, Yamasaki would interfere with the fight entering his win column. Things were taking a little longer than usual as Bruce Buffer was preparing to announce the winner. Joe Rogan entered the octagon as he was expecting to congratulate the Brazilian on another fantastic finish, but this wasn't the case.
Yamasaki thought that multiple hammerfists made direct contact to the back of Prater's head, which is an illegal strike, and disqualified him. Rogan elected to interview Silva anyway; he even brought the referee in to review the footage as it was replayed. Rogan firmly disagreed and congratulated Silva on a great performance, regardless of where it lies on his record.
#1. Ion Cutelaba vs. Magomed Ankalaev 1
Here it is, the first TKO victory in the UFC without anything of significance landing. When the highly anticipated match between Magomed Ankalaev and Ion Cutelaba happened, it was over before it started.
It also started before it started, as the ever-so-intense Cutelaba got in the Russian's face during his introduction. This scuffle was quickly broken up and the fight began shortly after. Only lasting 38-seconds, this bout left fans feeling unfulfilled.
'The Hulk' had the objective of baiting Ankalaev into a big shot by playing possum. As it seemed that he bit on this tactic, the referee did too. Ankalaev began spamming headkicks and Cutelaba would theatrically wobble. As a ferocious counter-punch was launched towards Ankalaev, Kevin MacDonald stepped in to stop the fight as he thought that Cutelaba was out on his feet. The immediate protest and replay assured all watching that 'The Hulk' was very much still in the fight, prompting an immediate rematch.
