The Most Controversial Referee Moments in UFC History

Let's face it, being a referee in any sport is an extremely difficult job, especially in combat sports where fighter safety is absolutely paramount. But with such big responsibility means they are under the microscope almost constantly.

Referee’s in mixed martial arts arguably have a tougher job than most refs in any other sport because they have to watch out for more things such as illegal strikes like headbutts, eye pokes, fence grabs, grabbing inside the gloves. And of course, making sure you protect fighters at all cost, so if a fighter is taking severe damage, they must step in and stop the fight if they feel a fighter is not intelligently defending themselves.

The latter is a skill in itself because MMA refs often tread a fine line between giving a fighter a chance to recover but also protecting them from unnecessary damage throughout the duration of the bout.

But, throughout the decades, we have seen some extremely poor officiating and controversial calls. This article will rank the most controversial referee moments in UFC history.

Ranking the Most Controversial Referee Moments in UFC History 

In this segment, SportsBoom has ranked the most controversial referee moments in UFC history, and we have provided a breakdown of each incident.

1. Mario Yamasaki's Late Stoppage in Shevchenko vs. Cachoeira

In 2018, Mario Yamasaki allowed Priscila Cachoeira to take an extreme amount of damage against Valentina Shevchenko. Shevchenko dominated the fight, landing over 200 strikes before Yamasaki finally stopped the bout. 

Many, including UFC President Dana White, called it one of the worst cases of late stoppage by a referee in UFC history. After a number of instances similar to this, 2018 was the year the UFC decided to ban Yamasaki from refereeing any future fights in the promotion.

2. Herb Dean’s Late Stoppage in Trinaldo vs. Herbert

Herb Dean, one of the most respected referees in MMA history, faced severe backlash in 2020 when he hesitated to stop Francisco Trinaldo vs Jai Herbert. The English fighter was clearly out after a devastating punch, but Dean delayed calling the fight, leading to unnecessary follow-up strikes. 

For the record, this was the second bad late stoppage he had during this night. Former UFC fighter Dan Hardy was working on the broadcast team at that event and Hardy was heard yelling at Dean to stop the fight, this later led to Hardy and Dean getting into a heated argument outside the cage because of his poor referee decisions that night.

3. Steve Mazzagatti’s ‘Illegal Strike’ Call in Lesnar vs. Mir 1

Frank Mir def. Brock Lesnar//Getty Images

Brock Lesnar's UFC debut against Frank Mir in 2008 was marred by Steve Mazzagatti’s bizarre controversial call. 

After Lesnar knocked Mir down and was delivering ground-and-pound, Mazzagatti stopped the action due to an alleged illegal strike, with the referee believing Lesnar had punched Mir in the back of the head.

The temporary stoppage in the fight, and the 1-point deduction to Lesnar, shifted the momentum, leading to Mir’s eventual submission win.

4. Kevin MacDonald’s Early Stoppage in Cejudo vs. Dillashaw

In 2019, Henry Cejudo defended his UFC flyweight title against TJ Dillashaw. Just 32 seconds into the fight, referee Kevin MacDonald stopped it after Cejudo dropped Dillashaw, despite Dillashaw still appearing to defend himself. 

Many felt that the stoppage was too quick, robbing Dillashaw of a chance to recover. Even former legendary MMA referee John McCarthy disagreed with the decision to stop the fight at that point.

5. Dan Miragliotta’s Controversy in Weidman vs. Mousasi

In 2017, Chris Weidman fought Gegard Mousasi in a bout that ended in major confusion. With Mousasi holding the American in a front headlock position, Weidman put his hands on the ground in order to stabilise himself and also “ground” himself.

At this time, the MMA rules and regulations state that if a fighter has two hands touching the floor, they are classed as grounded, which means you cannot knee or kick a fighter in the head.

Dan Miragliotta initially called an illegal knee on Mousasi but then reversed his decision after reviewing replays, leading to a TKO win for Mousasi. Weidman, believing he had time to recover, was frustrated with the situation.

6. Steve Mazzagatti’s Bad Call in Johnson vs. Burns

Kevin Burns def. Anthony Johnson//Getty Images

In 2008, Anthony Johnson fought Kevin Burns at welterweight in a fight that ended in huge controversy. 

Burns repeatedly poked Johnson in the eye, as many as three times, and despite multiple warnings, the fight continued. Finally, after a severe eye poke, which may as well be called Burns’ signature move at this point, the referee Mazzagatti, and commission, ruled it a TKO win for Burns instead of a disqualification.

7. Herb Dean’s Poor Points Deduction in Leites vs. Marquardt

In 2007, Thales Leites fought Nate Marquardt in a middleweight fight marred by a controversial decision win that ended up giving Leites a shot at Anderson Silva's middleweight title. 

Marquardt, despite being in a dominant position, was stood up by Dean multiple times, disrupting his game plan. And then, in the third round, Dean stopped the fight to penalise Marquardt for an apparent illegal elbow. However, replay showed that the strike was perfectly legal. Despite this, Marquardt was deducted a point in the final round which eventually led to him losing the fight via split decision.

8. Herb Dean’s Late Stoppage in Velasquez vs. Dos Santos 2

Cain Velasquez dominated Junior dos Santos in their rematch at UFC 155, with the Mexican American inflicting massive damage on the Brazilian. 

Despite Dos Santos being visibly out on his feet, Herb Dean allowed the fight to continue, leading to an unnecessary amount of punishment which saw Dos Santos suffer severe swelling, a broken nose and a hematoma on the side of his head.

9. Herb Dean Misses Eye Poke in Rivera vs. Faber

At UFC 181, Urijah Faber faced off against Francisco Rivera in a bantamweight bout. The MMA legend, Faber, won the fight via second round submission. However, the ending was extremely controversial. 

Faber stunned Rivera with a brutal eye poke during a standup exchange. The eye poke went unnoticed by the referee, but immediately preceded the fight ending in submission as Faber capitalised with a bulldog choke.

10. Yves Lavigne’s Mishandling of Danzig vs. Wiman

Mac Danzig fought Matt Wiman at lightweight in 2010 at UFC 115, and the fight ended in confusion when Yves Lavigne mistakenly stopped the fight thinking Danzig was unconscious in a guillotine choke. 

Danzig immediately protested, showing he was still conscious, but the call stood, resulting in a technical submission loss. The broadcast team of Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan heavily criticised that call live on air.