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Whether in the UFC or any other MMA organization, referees have a fairly thankless job. They're the in-cage official responsible for protecting the fighters from themselves and from situations that neither the fighters themselves, nor their corners assess with the fighter's safety taken into account.
If a fighter absorbs too many unanswered blows to the head, while showing no signs of intelligence defense, a referee is obligated to step in and call an end to the bout. Similarly, if a fighter's arm snaps due to an armbar but they refuse to tap out, the referee has a duty to announce the fight's conclusion.
But sometimes, a fight can be stopped too early, potentially robbing a fighter of a comeback that may or may not have been on the horizon. In worse cases though, referees stop fights too late, which comes at the risk of a fighter's health as they sustain unnecessary damage. These are five such cases inside the octagon.
#5. Khalid Murtazaliev vs. C.B. Dollaway, UFC Fight Night 136
C.B. Dollaway had a decade-long stint as a UFC fighter. While he was never close to the middleweight or light heavyweight title scene, he was a recognizable name who faced the likes of Michael Bisping, and even managed to beat judoka extraordinaire, Hector Lombard.
However, at UFC Fight Night 136, he had his final fight in the promotion against Khalid Murtazaliev, who was 13-2 and had an absurd knockout percentage. He was making his promotional debut, and veteran referee Herb Dean was chosen to officiate the bout. Unfortunately, it was among his most criticized performances.
Towards the end of round two, Murtazaliev had Dollaway on the ground and began landing significant strike after significant strike, none of which his foe answered. Dollaway was helpless, covering up as he absorbed countless strikes while Dean yelled at him to fight back, but hesitated to stop the fight.
The round ended with Dollaway absorbing unreal amounts of punishment, prompting the crowd to boo Dean's conduct, as he only stopped the fight after he asked a grounded Dollaway if he wanted to continue fighting.
#4. Chris Weidman vs. Mark Muñoz, UFC on Fuel TV 4
One fight before becoming the architect behind one of the greatest upsets in MMA history, Chris Weidman took on the streaking Mark Muñoz, who was riding the wave of four consecutive wins. The bout was a title eliminator that saw Weidman emerge victorious with one of his most brutal-ever finishes.
As the fight entered the second round, Muñoz seemed intent on being the aggressor and began lunging forward. Before long, Weidman had grown wise to his game and darted forward to intercept him mid-lunge with a short elbow that sliced Muñoz's face open and dropped him.
Weidman pounced immediately, landing blow after blow, bloodying up a lifeless Muñoz who was lying face-down, mounting no resistant at all. Weidman continued landing repeated shots to the head of a defenseless Muñoz for nearly 10 seconds before the referee finally waved the fight off.
#3. Francisco Trinaldo vs. Jai Herbert, UFC on ESPN 14
Jai Herbert has been on the receiving end of some of the most brutal finishes in the promotion. For example, few will forget unbeaten featherweight, Ilia Topuria knocking him out in vicious fashion. But before that loss, one of Jai Herbert's worst defeats came at the hands of Francisco Trinaldo.
Once again, it was Herb Dean at the helm. Early in round three, Trinaldo landed a monstrous overhand left that floored Herbert, hurting the Englishman so badly that he was nearly motionless once he hit the ground. It could have easily been ruled as a knockout, but Herb Dean didn't end the bout.
So Trinaldo was forced to land several ground-and-pound shots against an opponent that may very well have been unconscious, prompting Dan Hardy, who was in the commentary booth, to infamously shout at Herb Dean to stop the fight, which the latter did second later.
#2. Valentina Shevchenko vs. Priscilla Cachoeira, UFC Fight Night 125
Future women's flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko made her return to the 125-pound division in 2018, after spending most of her run in the promotion as a bantamweight. She was booked to face Priscilla Cachoeira in a title eliminator. At the time, the Brazilian was an undefeated sensation making her UFC debut.
The fight was nothing short of complete domination on Shevchenko's part as she scored takedowns and bloodied her foe with vicious ground-and-pound. Somehow, despite mounting almost no resistance, Cachoeira survived the first round, courtesy of controversial referee Mario Yamasaki.
But the worst was yet to come. Shevchenko scored a quick takedown in round two and quickly transitioned into the crucifix position before landing more ground-and-pound. With both her arms trapped, Cachoeira was helpless as she absorbed more and more punches until her face was, once again, a crimson mask.
But Yamasaki still did nothing. Shevchenko soon mounted her foe, landing even more ground-and-pound as her foe failed to defend herself intelligently. She then transitioned to back-mount and landed more brutal ground-and-pound, yet Yamasaki still failed to call the stoppage.
In his words, he was affording Cachoeira the chance to be a warrior. Fortunately, 'Bullet' sank in a rear-naked choke to end the bout herself. The officiating on Mario Yamasaki's part was widely panned, as Valentina Shevchenko had landed over 200 strikes, while Cachoeira had only managed to land three.
He has not refereed a UFC fight since, after Dana White made his feelings about his officiating clear.
#1. Luke Rockhold vs. Chris Weidman, UFC 194
Fans still wonder exactly why Chris Weidman now seems incapable of taking a punch, given that he previously showcased tremendous toughness. The key might lie in his bout with Luke Rockhold. Back in 2015, both men were regarded as the future of the UFC middleweight division.
So when they clashed in the co-main event of UFC 194 to determine who left that evening as the 185-pound champion, no one was surprised that the bout was competitive. However, an ill-advised wheel kick in round three led to Weidman getting his back taken and he was immediately taken down by Rockhold.
From there, the Californian mounted his foe and began landing ground-and-pound, busting Chris Weidman open, as referee Herb Dean looked on. With 30 seconds left on the clock, Rockhold did not relent and continued to punish his foe from top position. Weidman did nothing to defend himself, merely covering up.
Yet, Herb Dean did not stop the fight, allowing a bloodied and rocked Chris Weidman to stumble to his corner as the round ended. Even Joe Rogan asked out loud, what it would take for Dean to stop the fight. Round four, however, was more of the same, as Rockhold scored a takedown and landed ground-and-pound.
Finally, after he mounted him again and landed more punches from the top, Herb Dean stopped the fight. Unfortunately, it came minutes too late.
