"Terrible refereeing" - Fans slam referee Gary Copeland for controversial calls during Theo Haig vs. Cezary Oleksiejczuk fight at DWCS 80

MMA referee Gary Copeland recently stirred up fans with his controversial decision-making in the Theo Haig vs. Cezary Oleksiejczuk middleweight fight at DWCS 80 earlier today.

In the opening round of their fight, Oleksiejczuk stuffed one of Haig's takedown attempts and locked him in position to deliver a flurry of unanswered hammerfists to the head.

While most referees would intervene and put a stop to the contest, Copeland paused the fight and issued a timeout. However, after consulting with cageside officials, Copeland deemed Haig unconscious due to legal strikes and gave Oleksiejczuk the TKO victory. The delay in stopping the fight and the subsequent confusion with the timeout sent fans into a frenzy on social media.

After @ufc shared a clip of the fight sequence that led to Oleksiejczuk's TKO victory via an X post, fans flocked to the comments to express their thoughts on Copeland's refereeing.

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One fan wrote:

"Gary Copeland, get ready to learn Chinese, buddy."

Another fan wrote:

"Terrible refereeing, but hammerfists were crazy."

Check out some more fan reactions below:

Is Gary Copeland also a police chief? Everything you need to know

Apart from being an MMA referee, Gary Copeland also served as the Waynesville village manager and police chief. He's been a law enforcement officer for over 30 years and also served in the U.S. Marines as a young man.

Copeland notably got involved in martial arts after being assigned to a unit in Japan between 1984 and 1988, even becoming a member of the traveling Marine Karate Team. With a master's degree in criminal justice, he's also a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

In a March 2022 interview, Copeland opened up about being a referee and his love for mixed martial arts, saying:

"My goal is to be a shadow in the ring. I’m there to protect the fighters, enforce the rules, and maintain action. I enjoy being a referee because it allows me to stay involved in the sport. It’s a way for me to contribute back to the sport, something I have been involved with for many years." [H/t: Dalton Daily News]

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Edited by Nishant Zende.