One mixed martial arts referee has drawn comparisons to a couple of UFC officials after a controversial stoppage on Friday night.
The topic of refereeing in MMA is never too far from the surface, but it’s been especially prominent in recent times after some questionable moments inside the UFC Octagon.
Among those under fire has been Jason Herzog, who was accused of stopping Derrick Lewis’ win over Tallison Teixeira early weeks before letting a UFC Abu Dhabi fighter continue on through eight knockdowns.
The UFC is far from the only promotion often plagued by refereeing controversies, and the most recent came on the regional scene after one of the latest stoppages of the year thus far.
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Joao ‘The Diamond’ Oliveira flattens rival with devastating head kick at Shooto Brazil 132
While there is no UFC event this weekend, there’s still plenty of action to keep MMA fans entertained. That included the latest Shooto Brazil card on Friday night at Upper Arena in Rio de Janeiro.
One of the standout performers was Joao Oliveira, ranked as Brazil’s No. 12 featherweight by Tapology. After two losses in a row, the former Centurion FC champion shared the cage with 6-0 prospect Willian Prado.
‘The Diamond’, who shares a surname with former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and a nickname with the recently retired Dustin Poirier, bounced back in style.
He handed Prado his first pro loss with a devastating head kick in the first minute of round two, setting up the shot in a similar fashion to Leon Edwards’ knockout against Kamaru Usman in 2022.
The kick sent Prado crashing to the canvas, and it was clear that the fight was over. The referee somehow saw things differently, though, and halted Oliveira’s celebrations by refusing to wave the bout off.
It ultimately took a few unnecessary follow-up shots before the official finally intervened.
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Fans slam MMA referee with comparisons to controversial UFC official after wild stoppage
The referee was quickly slammed by fans online after the brutal finish was posted to the official UFC Fight Pass account on X.
One fan even went as far as to call for officials to be subject to “jail time,” while others drew comparisons to some prominent referees who have been criticized for similar stoppages in the past.
“You can kill the man but not the idea,” one individual posted alongside a GIF of Herb Dean.
“Ref? WTF?
“Ref must be Mario Yamazaki’s cousin (TKO = death).”
“The ref, OMG. So sleepy.”
“Mario Yamasaki never died.”
“Sue the ref.”
“Some refs in MMA deserve actual jail time.”
Some suggested a career change for the referee after the controversial stoppage.
“What was the ref thinking? How do some of these refs even get a job.”
“How can he be a ref?”