"Needs a raise," "Cheat for DDP" - MMA fans split on Marc Goddard's intervention in Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev UFC 319 clash

Fans react to Marc Goddard
Fans react to Marc Goddard's (inset) interference in the Dricus du Plessis (left) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (right) matchup. [Images courtesy: Getty and @marcgoddard_uk on Instagram]

Referee Marc Goddard's involvement in the Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight at UFC 319 sparked mixed reactions from the MMA fans worldwide. While many blasted Goddard for interfering, others stated that it was necessary.

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Du Plessis took on Chimaev for his third middleweight title defense in the main event of UFC 319 on Saturday at the United Center in Chicago. As expected, the undefeated challenger came out guns blazing and successfully took down du Plessis.

'Borz's' wrestling abilities were on full display over the course of the five rounds. However, in the fourth and final round, Goddard intervened to break up the tussle and instructed both fighters to restart the action from the center after Chimaev had spent the majority of the time in the top position.

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After 25 minutes of dominance, the Brit raised the hand of Chimaev, who dethroned du Plessis via unanimous decision. Notably, the Chechen-born fighter landed 529 significant strikes in comparison to the South African's 45.

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Following the event, X user @TruthfulUfcFan slammed Goddard for taking the position from Chimaev, writing:

''We need Marc Goddard out as a UFC ref, he blatantly attempted to cheat for DDP, standing them up when DDP was getting mauled. Khamzat was landing and advancing positions, it’s DDPs job to get up NOT Goddards #UFC319''
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Fans soon rushed to the comments section to share their reactions.

One fan wrote:

''He needs a raise. He tried saving the card''

Another stated:

''I disagree with Goddard standing them up that one time, but I think he just felt a bit bad for DDP to be honest''

Other fans wrote:

''Merab [Dvalishvili] said he's only scared of God and Marc Goddard. That was blatant cheating. He wasn't inactive or stalling... He just obviously was giving DDP a chance to win.''
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''Definitely not a bad thing breaking… no damage being done from the most dominant position so it could have done more''

Check out more reactions below:

Fan reactions [Screenshots courtesy: @TruthfulUfcFan on X]
Fan reactions [Screenshots courtesy: @TruthfulUfcFan on X]

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Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena
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