The Most Controversial Referee Decisions in UFC History

No other sports spell split-second decision-making with consequences quite like mixed martial arts does, and the actions of its referees are relevant in most instances. The premier organization in this discipline, the UFC, has had quite a number of controversial decisions by its officials, raising heated debates among fans, fighters, and analysts alike. These decisions can alter the course of a bout, influence the career path of a fighter, and in some cases, even change UFC history. It focuses on some of the most controversial referees’ decisions in the history of the UFC by presenting what exactly happened, why they were so controversial, and their implications, since, because of these decisions, careers have been changed.

1. Herb Dean’s Early Stoppage in Faber vs. Barao II (UFC 169)

Herb Dean might be the most highly-respected referee in MMA, largely due to his cool head and broad experience in handling high-stakes fights. Yet, even the best cannot avoid controversy. One such instance was at UFC 169 in 2014 during the bantamweight title fight between Renan Barao and Urijah Faber.

Controversy
In the opening round, Barao put down Faber with a punch that crumpled him to the canvas, following up with strikes on the ground. Hurt, Faber appeared to hold on while defending well enough by covering up to stop the fight. Referee Herb Dean had seen enough and awarded Barao the TKO victory.

Most of the fans and a bunch of analysts felt that it was an early stoppage; Faber seemed to do an okay job of intelligently defending himself and had the decision at the top of the cards, no doubt. A real man who can actually stand there, take the blows, and get himself back in the fight, Faber immediately and passionately protested the stoppage of the fight at its conclusion. The decision was surrounded by a number of critics who claimed that the fight should have been allowed to continue on the magnanimity of what was at stake.

Impact
This early stoppage denied Faber the opportunity to mount a comeback, something we have seen in many of his fights. Indeed, the taking of this backdoor was something that really hammered home Barao’s victory, layering on more talk regarding the fight’s outcome. While Dean defended his decision by saying he was trying to do what was best for fighter safety, it remains one of the more contentious stoppages in UFC history.

2. Late Stoppage: Steve Mazzagatti in Lesnar vs. Mir I (UFC 81)

Steve Mazzagatti is a referee whose name has practically become synonymous with controversial calls, one of the biggest being his handling—or some would say, lack thereof—of the heavyweight fight between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir at UFC 81, back in 2008.

The Controversy
Brock Lesnar’s second professional MMA fight was against the former UFC heavyweight champion, Frank Mir. Overzealousness on Lesnar’s part, compounded with his wrestling and crushing ground-and-pound capabilities, though, spelled early doom for Mir. In fact, the stoppage appeared to be imminent before a very slight pause on the contest from Mazzagatti, who deducted a point from Lesnar for landing a series of strikes to the back of Mir’s head. Most fans and critics feel it was a dubious call.

As the two of them resumed to fight, Mir latched onto a technical opening and submitted him with a kneebar, making Lesnar tap out. The critics accused Mazzagatti with making an unnecessary fight and giving an undue advantage to Mir, which prematurely changed the tide of the bout .

Impact
The stoppage and deduction of a point made a lot of headlines, and even Dana White, president of UFC, was very vocal about Mazzagatti’s poor performance that night. The brawl added to the legend of Brock’s meteoric stardom in the UFC, and people had begun to wonder—what if the fight wasn’t stopped? Even now, the event has done little to create a good name for Mazzagatti as a referee with sound judgment.

3. Yamasaki’s Delayed Stoppage in Shevchenko vs. Cachoeira (UFC Fight Night 125)

The Controversy
First of all, Valentina Shevchenko is known to be one of the skilled and experienced fighters in her game today, while on the other hand, Priscila Cachoeira is not heard of much. From the initial bell, Shevchenko was all over Cachoeira, landing shots before taking her down, and after that, she continued with heavy punching and elbows.
Despite the overwhelming attack, Yamasaki let this fight go way longer than most felt was needed. Bearing an unbelievable amount of abuse, Cachoeira lasted until the second-around submission, where Shevchenko locked in a rear-naked choke to dispatch her. The fight was so heavily one-sided that Shevchenko managed to do all of this and outstrike Cachoeira 230-3.

Impact
Yamasaki was criticized by all quarters for his call in letting the fight go on. Fighters, fans and the official UFC criticized him. More importantly, UFC President Dana white said that Yamasaki should never be allowed to officiate another UFC fight. This stressed the point that referees are supposed to protect fighters as the referee of a fight and further got inculcated in the mind of people that a late stoppage is as dangerous as an early one.

4. Mazagatti’s Point Deduction in Jones vs. Hamill (TUF 10 Fin

Steve Mazzagatti showed his face on this list again, this time in the Jon Jones vs. Matt Hamill fight, during The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale, 2009. Of course, the specific decision was weighty, as it was the only loss by Jon Jones – though it was in controversial circumstances.

Controversy
It was clear that Jon Jones was beating the underdog wrestler Matt Hamill by way of wrestling and ground impounds, and the stoppage wasn’t that far away. Of course, in the process, Jones was throwing some 12-to-6 elbows – illegal under the Unified Rules of MMA.

The bout was stopped, and Mazzagatti took away one point for the illegal elbow strikes from Jones, but during the stoppage, it was evident to everyone that the fight couldn’t go on because of the damage done to Hamill, really by legal strikes. Mazzagatti did not call the bout no-contest because it was due to the illegal strikes or neither did he call the DQ of Hamill but instead he called the match a disqualification win for the unbeaten Jones because of the illegal elbows.

Impact
This move was sure to stir up much debate and much controversy since many regarded the DQ finish to be uncalled for because a referee cannot decide that the cause of inability to continue are the illegal elbows; usually such moves result in a no-contest decision. The singular DQ loss is the blemish in an otherwise perfect resume for Jon Jones and Mazzagatti’s move will always be utilized when anyone discusses controversial officiating in the UFC.

5. Kevin Mulhall’s Stand-Up in Johnson vs. Torres (UFC 104)

Stand-ups in an MMA fight, meanwhile, come into play when the referee deems that the action on the ground has pretty much come to a standstill and that he orders fighters to get back to their feet. Primarily used to keep the action going, stand-ups can also work at cross-purposes and anger fans if done at the wrong moments. Below is a case in point featuring the fight between Anthony Johnson and Yoshiyuki Yoshida, taking place in the year 2009 at UFC 104.

The Controversy
Anthony Johnson, being typical for his fights, exploded against Yoshiyuki Yoshida in a welterweight bout. Just when the fight could begin to work, Johnson landed an early takedown and was doing a decent job from the top position, working to a better position and landed shots. Referee Kevin Mulhall, though, forced a stand up, though Johnson was working in a far from stagnant position. Johnson, in apparent frustration at the stand-up, had Yoshida immediately unconscious by a sick head kick as soon as the ‘babysitting’ referee picked him to his feet again. The stand-up has rightly been pilloried as having come utterly against the run of the fight, thus massively determining the fight outcome.

Impact
The haste with which the fighters stood up added to this controversy – when, and for what reason, should referees become involved in ground fighting. Of the stand-up, critics contended the first was not at all needed and even denied Johnson a bona fide finish in the ground and pound. The spectacle, in other words, pointed out a few lines the referee had to walk: that fine line between letting action run their course on the ground, or to reset the battle standing.

6. Kim Winslow’s Acting Job in Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson (EliteXC: Primetime)

Not a UFC match, the outrage over the stand-up in the brawl between Kimbo Slice and James Thompson on EliteXC: Primetime was one of the many to occur in 2008, especially in terms of approaches for the use of referees in high-profile fights.

The Controversy
In the main event, human cockfighting star, alias, street brawling celebrity, Kimbo Slice took on professional MMA star James Thompson. The fight was rather push-and-pull, with Thompson attempting to use his wrestling and ground-and-pound braking to control Kimbo for much of the fight. However, it was on the gimmick level that undiscussed blows were scored as, during one of those sequences on the ground, referee Dan Miragliotta controversially stood the fighters up, breaking Thompson from top position despite control and activity.

When they did get back to their feet, Kimbo capitalized on the situation, landing a series of strikes that ultimately led to a TKO victory. The timing of the stand-up was highly criticized, with many believing it was called to favor Kimbo and provide a more exciting finish for the television audience.

Impact
Would be extremely controversial in that stand-up about this fight, deservedly leading to a lot of criticism about the integrity of the referee’s decision and further drove home the concerns people have in relation to a promoter and Network involvement in the judging. Once again, although this wasn’t in the UFC, it was apparent that referees need to be unbiased, and their actions should only revolve around the concern of safe competition.

7. Keith Peterson’s Early Stoppage in Cejudo vs. Cruz (UFC 249)

Keith Peterson, a respected referee in the world of UFC, got himself in a controversy during the title bantamweight fight between Henry Cejudo and Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 in 2020.

The Controversy
During the second round of the fight, this monstrous knee went out to land from Henry Cejudo and dropped Dominick Cruz to the canvas. Many more left the ground with light-speed hands from Cejudo as Cruz tried to get back until the end. While Cruz did not completely recover, Peterson called off the fight, handing Cejudo the TKO win. Cruz protested right away, saying he was still alert and conscious and was actually defending himself. A lot of his fan base and analysts were echoing the fighter’s opinion, believing he should have been granted an extended recovery time, considering his reputation and how he had overcome some tight spots in his career.

Impact
The stoppage was roguishly discussed, some believed that Peterson did well to put the safety of the fighter before them, while others believed it was a premature stoppage on the fight. There was quite some controversy on the part of Cejudo’s victory and even more uproar with his winning retirement announcement, marking more room for debate on what was supposed to be a celebratory day for the same fighter.

8. The McCarthy-Big John Stand-Off in Ortiz vs. Shamrock II (UFC 61)

Big John McCarthy—a referee who, in the annals of the UFC, is well known to be among those having the most imposing personality and with considerable prowess in the sport at large. However, even McCarthy found himself in controversial moment after controversial moment, and this was one of them during the 2006 rematch between Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock at UFC 61.

The Dispute
In their first encounter, Tito Ortiz won via referee stoppage due to strikes at Ken Shamrock, with Ortiz applying the top position when the said stoppage was done. The rematch at UFC 61 was no different after Ortiz took Shamrock down and eagerly delivered elbows until McCarthy intervened with the same ruling of TKO from strikes. Many fans felt, and even Shamrock would argue, that the stoppage came too soon, as Shamrock was about to fight back. The event came with so much public controversy that the UFC set up a third fight between Ortiz and Shamrock later in the year, in which Ortiz would win quite convincingly.

Impact
The early stoppage in Ortiz vs. Shamrock II remains a favorite topic of debate among fans, especially those who seem to think that Shamrock could have and should have been given more time to fight back. Nearly 10 years later, the sequel proceeded to underscore much of the nature of the impossible decisions that referees sometimes must make; the gains and separations affected the fighters’ careers and legacies massively.

Conclusion
While honing skills inside the octagon is undeniably tough and dangerous for a fighter, officiating inside the UFC is often a thankless job that allows for snap decisions to be made under enormous pressure. Such is the complexity and consequence of this pastime that it is plagued with other controversial referee decisions that qualify it for the lead-up status MMA entails. Whether in an early stoppage, a late stoppage, or questionable deduction of points, such referee decisions influence careers and, subsequently, the sport in general. While the intention of referees is always to protect the safety of the fighters as well as the purity of the contests, their every move comes under such magnified attention that it is impossible to avoid strife. In this respect, as the UFC continues to move forward and redefine itself, the role of referees will continue to be quintessential, and the errors of the past only function to further refine the bidding so that in the future, outcomes are more likely to be fair.