Dana White had lots to rejoice at UFC 307 however don’t count on him to applaud the judges or referees working the occasion.
There have been various controversial scorecards delivered — maybe none extra necessary than Julianna Pena getting a split-decision win over Raquel Pennington within the co-main occasion — in addition to some gaffes from much less skilled referees that marred a number of of the fights on the cardboard. When it got here particularly to the scoring at UFC 307, White didn’t point out any fights by title, however he was clearly not proud of among the outcomes returned.
“I assumed the judging tonight was atrocious,” White mentioned on the post-fight press convention. “I felt like I used to be at a boxing match in Eire tonight.
“I assumed the judging was atrocious tonight. I’ll simply go away it that. It was atrocious.”
It’s doable White was additionally referencing the split-decision win earned by Mario Bautista over Jose Aldo in one other essential card battle on Saturday, though he undoubtedly wasn’t proud of referee Mike Beltran.
His ire got here right down to Bautista consistently on the lookout for takedowns, developing brief however then holding Aldo up towards the cage within the clinch. There was one second particularly the place Beltran truly separated the fighters, however instantly on the restart, Bautista dove for Aldo’s legs once more and it put him proper again in the identical place on the fence.
“It’s frequent sense,” White mentioned. “When the man retains doing it, and is doing all the things he can to not battle, and never win the battle, as a ref, you need to break it up instantly. If he simply did it three rounds in a row, and he retains doing it, and so they get there, and he doesn’t get the takedown, give him a few seconds, see if he will get the takedown and break it up.”
White would truly prefer to see the referees get extra concerned in these sorts of conditions the place he believes stalling ways are being employed to keep away from potential injury from a placing trade.
The identical goes for scoring the fights as a result of White doesn’t perceive how somebody like Bautista is being rewarded by profitable rounds but not inflicting any actual injury.
“I all the time suppose that the referees ought to be extra lively on that. 100%,” White mentioned. “Particularly when someone retains doing it to stall. You guys aren’t going to f*cking let up on this are you? I assume we’ll get into it. In case you’re judging on a man if it’s management, if it’s this or that, for those who’re not attempting to battle, how do you win the battle? In case you’re tried takedowns, what about stuffing the takedowns? Simply insanity.
“When you possibly can inform that the man undoubtedly doesn’t to face and strike and simply needs to stall towards the fence, sure, the refs, that’s their job. Once they see it regularly taking place and the man just isn’t attempting to win the battle, then you definately maintain breaking them up.”
As a lot as White advocates for referees getting extra concerned in creating motion throughout a battle, he understands there are limits.
Maybe the most effective instance of that got here earlier within the evening throughout the preliminary card when referee Dave Seljestad broke aside Cesar Almeida and Ihor Potieria simply second after they bought clinched up towards the cage. The commentary group working the fights known as out the actions a number of instances as Seljestad virtually handled the battle like a boxing match by repeatedly breaking apart Almeida and Potieria throughout the battle.
What made issues worse was the referee failing to manage the foundations correctly after Potieria suffered by way of a number of eye pokes however there was by no means some extent taken away nor was Almeida truly warned about repeated fouls.
Regardless that White didn’t see what precisely unfolded, he heard all about it afterwards from Marc Ratner, the UFC’s vp of regulatory affairs.
“I missed that [fight],” White mentioned. “I used to be in my room and we have been speaking to folks, however [Marc] Ratner walked in proper after it occurred and was like ‘that ain’t taking place once more tonight.’”
Seljestad didn’t reappear at UFC 307, though the Almeida vs. Potieria bout was already scheduled as his last bout as referee on Saturday.