Irish fighter Kiefer Crosbie has blasted tenured UFC referee Marc Goddard after an illegal knee contributed to a contentious defeat in Shanghai.
Taking on Chinese UFC debutant Taiyilake Nueraji (12-1), Crosbie succumbed to a first-round finish against the home favourite. However, the stoppage came moments after the prospect was deducted two points when he struck a downed Crosbie with a knee.
British ref Goddard stopped the fight and gave 35-year-old kCrosbie a short period to recover before asking him if he was good to continue, after the fight doctor gave the dazed Irishman permission to carry on.
Crosbie has since called out Goddard for not giving him enough time to recover, branding it a “ridiculous call”.
“How come I didn’t get five minutes? Forty five seconds I got and couldn’t even see straight or remember what happened,” he said on Instagram.
“Obviously I was going to continue because that’s what fighters do but to rush me back in while still concussed and confused is ridiculous. Playing with my life. Ridiculous call.”
He later added in the comments: “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve said for years Marc is one of the best referees in the game if not the best. But that was a horrendous decision. I’m concussed and on wobbly legs, can barely see straight with blood in my eyes and I’m rushed back into a fight after being partially KO’d by an illegal knee.”
The UFC rules dictate that the cageside doctor has up to five minutes to decide if a fighter is able to continue in the event of an illegal blow, and once the give the OK, the referee can restart the fight “as soon as is practical”. This means that, unlike with low blows, fighters do not receive up to five minutes to recover, with Crosbie given just under a minute before getting back to his feet.
Had Crosbie not been deemed able to continue, Goddard could have disqualified Nueraji for the infringement, but instead chose to only deduct points after Crosbie stated his intention to keep fighting.
The commentary team, which included former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping, praised Goddard for how he handled the situation at the time.
“Perfectly handled by Marc Goddard because Kiefer Crosbie had all the right in the world to say ‘no I can’t continue’ and he would have got a DQ win if he had said that,” former fighter Laura Sanko said on the broadcast.
Defeat leaves Crosbie, with a 10-6 professional record, on a three-fight losing streak in the UFC, which could put his future in the promotion at risk.
His last win in the combat scene came in an exhibition boxing bout against former Geordie Shore star Aaron Chalmers back in July 2023.
