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Marc Goddard explained to a fan why he alerted the security personnel when Aljamain Sterling and Sean O'Malley got in each others' faces before the official introduction at UFC 292.
O'Malley fought then-champion Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight title in the UFC 292 main event. Moments before octagon announcer Bruce Buffer started the official introduction for the main event, Sterling and O'Malley left their respective corners and met in the middle of the octagon in a tense face-off.
Referee Marc Goddard instructed the security personnel to break the face-off and send the fighters back to their corners.
Catch the moment below (00:20):
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Responding to a video clip re-posted on X, a fan asked Goddard why he insisted on breaking the face-off, which could have been 'good TV'. The UFC referee, whose response hinted at a feeling of agitation, explained the reason for his intervention. He wrote:
"Like anything, there's always a plausible explanation and much more to it. UFC and the commission explicitly tell us not to let fighters come in as Bruce Buffer does his thing. I'm not close to them, just telling security what they were told. But hey, the internet loves to hate & always knows best."
Marc Goddard's recent involvement in a bizarre fight stoppage
Marc Goddard is widely regarded as one of the best MMA referees today. However, the Brit is not immune to controversies and was heavily criticized for a questionable call in a recent fight.
Former kickboxing world champion Cedrick Doumbe fought Baysangur Chamsoudinov in a recent PFL event. In Round 3 of the fight, Doumbe pointed to his foot and requested Goddard for a timeout.
However, Goddard instructed him to continue fighting. After one more request for a timeout, Goddard waved off the fight and Chamsoudinov was declared the winner by TKO.
Catch the fight-ending moment below:
Fight fans heavily criticized Goddard for stopping the fight and Doumbe later revealed that it was a splinter in his foot that bothered him during the fight.
Retired referee and MMA analyst John McCarthy shared his thoughts on the incident and said timeout could not be allowed because no foul was committed. McCarthy concluded that Doumbe's loss was self-inflicted.
