Some of the worst calls by Steve Mazzagatti, the controversial former UFC referee

Steve Mazzagatti was one of the most controversial figures during his time refereeing in mixed martial arts. Mazzagatti was part of many questionable calls during his career as an official, which left him on the wrong side of many fighters and even UFC president Dana White.

With that in mind, let's take a look at some of his worst refereeing decisions...

Perhaps Steve Mazzagatti's apparent inaptitude first came to light during UFC Fight Night 14 when the late Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson took on Kevin Burns. In the 2008 bout, the referee failed to spot even one of the many eye pokes that Johnson suffered.

'Rumble' eventually lost the fight due to an eye injury, but the official result of the event reflected a third-round TKO victory for Burns.

Watch some of the worst stoppages by Steve Mazzagatti below:

The referee is especially notorious for stoppages deemed to be late.

In the WSOF 3 welterweight bout between Jon Fitch and Joshua Burkman, Steve Mazzagatti only realized that Fitch had been choked out cold once Burkman released the choke on his opponent and stood up in celebration.

Ironically, the referee is also known for stoppages deemed extremely early and bizarre.

During Ronda Rousey's Strikeforce bout against Sarah D'Alelio, the former UFC bantamweight queen attempted an armbar early in the first round. Despite the submission being barely locked in, the controversial referee declared the bout a submission win for 'Rowdy'.

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When Dana White said Steve Mazzagatti was the worst referee ever

In the aftermath of Steve Mazzagatti's refereeing during the WSOF 3 fight, Dana White blasted the referee, saying that he was "dangerous."

Speaking to the press during a media event for UFC 161, the UFC president stated that if he was a fighter himself, he would be extremely uncomfortable with Mazzagatti officiating his fights:

"Does anybody here disagree that Mazzagati is a f*****g toolbox? I mean, he literally did nothing, Fitch was out cold. The Nevada State Athletic Commission is going to keep this guy around until he f*****g hurts somebody. That guy is dangerous... Let me tell you, if I was a fighter and I showed up and [sees] Steve, I would be like, 'Oh f*****g hell no... I'm either going to get hurt or this guy is going to do something stupid and screw up my fight.'"

Watch Dana White criticize the referee below: