The UFC veteran referee, Marc Goddard, discussed the pros and cons of being a mixed martial arts referee and the sometimes-negative reputation that comes with making decisions.
Goddard has faced criticism from the MMA community online due to a series of disagreements over his decisions, including instances of displaying anger towards athletes and making sudden decisions during tense moments. However, Goddard sees this criticism as mere noise.
Marc Goddard talks on pressure of being UFC ref
In the interview with Mixx Sports, Marc Goddard expressed that he believes being disagreed with is a part of his job as a referee for a mixed martial arts promotion.
UFC Referee Marc Goddard responds to hate after controversial stoppages:
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 28, 2024
"It's part of the job unfortunately. As a referee, sometimes your decisions are gonna please half of the room and piss off the other half.
I'm extremely comfortable [with the Pereira vs Prochazka… pic.twitter.com/5sBblAmOtr
“It’s part of the job unfortunately. As a referee, sometimes your decisions are gonna please half of the room and piss off the other half. We are there to make the right decisions. For fighter’s safety… the sad reality is people are not gonna see it your way… and that’s okay.” said Goddard.
Marc has been a referee for the UFC for 23 years and has had multiple iconic and controversial moments inside of the Octagon. The latest iteration of Goddard’s reffing in the UFC went viral after the Brian Ortega vs Yair Rodriguez fight, where stills of Ortega being scared by Goddard were trending among the MMA community on Twitter.
Unreal how Marc Goddard TKO’d Brian Ortega. Gotta assume Goddard is next for Topuria 👏😮💨 pic.twitter.com/PVh0H7eDLx
— Ben Davis (@BenTheBaneDavis) February 25, 2024
Marc Goddard is also under a lot of fire because of the controversial decision stoppage during PFL Europe (Cedric Doumbe vs. ‘Baki’ Chamsoudinov), where Goddard proceeded to end a fight even though both the fighters verbally communicated that there is glass in the Octagon which later caught Doumbe’s foot.
What just happened at #PFLParis? 😳
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) March 7, 2024
Marc Goddard stops the fight in the final round due to a toe injury to Cedric Doumbe.
BAKI WINS. 😱
pic.twitter.com/km28Li0WDl
Marc Goddard shares honest opinion on Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka stoppage
Goddard’s last controversial stoppage was during UFC 295’s main event, that was, Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka. According to many fans and the MMA community, the Jiri Prochazka stoppage was way too early.
Jiri Prochazka, who is known for having one of the best chins in the game, is a fighter who has been given a lot of chances after being rocked/knocked off balance by referees to recover and get himself back in the fight. Seemingly, fans were disappointed by Goddard’s decision of pulling Jiri off of Alex after him being knocked down once.
According to Jiri though, the decision by Goddard was correct and he said that he has no complains. Jiri also expressed that it may not look like he was very hurt, but Goddard did the right thing by stopping the fight otherwise Pereira would have had to land unnecessary damage onto Jiri.
Marc Goddard, regarding the decision, said, “I’m extremely comfortable [with the Pereira vs Prochazka stoppage]. I have nothing but respect for Jiri. I like Alex [Pereira] a lot, I know what he’s capable of.”
