In a sport where controversy is common, it takes a truly egregious call to make a veteran like Daniel Cormier publicly blast an official as ‘terrible.’ That’s exactly what happened at UFC Mexico tonight. The fight in question? Ailin Perez vs. Macy Chiasson. Pérez kept her momentum rolling on Saturday, securing her sixth straight victory with a win over Macy Chiasson inside the Arena CDMX in Mexico City.
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All three judges scored the contest 29-28 in Perez’s favor. Despite the unanimous decision, the bout sparked controversy, and much of the attention centered on the referee’s involvement. In the second round, Ailin Perez wasted little time asserting control. But from there, things went downhill.
She secured an early takedown on Macy Chiasson, established dominant top position, and also managed to secure side control. The Argentine was working her opponent on the ground. Referee Raul Porrata, however, controversially ruled the action insufficient and ordered a stand-up, bringing the fighters back to their feet.
Despite that, Perez was able to secure another takedown and eventually win the bout on the scorecards. In the aftermath, the 31-year-old used her win to call out Tracy Cortez for a fight. Despite Perez’s victory, the referee’s controversial stand-up drew sharp criticism, led by UFC analyst Daniel Cormier, who immediately took to social media to unload on what he felt was ‘terrible’ officiating.
Daniel Cormier left baffled by Porrata’s call
There’s no shortage of bad calls by referees in the UFC. However, this one by Raul Porrata appears to have touched a nerve with the former double-champ.
“Another terrible official on a UFC fight night,” Cormier wrote on Threads. “I mean, how do these guys get these assignments? It’s terrible.”
Despite Cormier’s criticism, according to Sherdog, Porrata has officiated 448 fights in his career so far. Regardless, one fan could not wrap their head around the decision from the referee. The fan chimed in, writing, “WTF is this ref doing? Why did he stand that up? This guy is a terrible ref!” Porrata appears to have worked with multiple promotions besides the UFC, which include Combate Global and UFL. He largely operates in Mexico.
A second fan took the insults even further. The fan claimed, “This ref in the Perez vs Chiasson fight is an imbecile.” Notably, Porrata also officiated the fight between Regina Tarin and Ernesta Kareckaite earlier in the event.
Someone else was left furious because of the referee’s decision. The user commented, “UFC needs to make sure this ref never sees the octagon again. Perez might get robbed of a finish because of this goof.” The UFC CEO has barred other referees, like Mario Yamasaki, from working in the promotion. So, if they wanted, Porrata might not make an appearance again for the promotion.
Another user had the same idea. The user wrote, “@ufc fire this ref during the Perez fight, absolute garbage.” At least, the referee’s call didn’t hinder Perez from getting the win.
The next user was much harsher. “This referee is dogs—t. That was a fight-changing stand-up while Perez was working after multiple warnings tonight. Any time someone is in the clinch or on the ground and not absolutely pulverizing their opponent.” It’s also worth noting that Porrata was repeatedly screaming “fight” as Perez was working on the ground.
One user criticized the UFC for not hiring the best people available. The user wrote, “This ref just stood up Perez & Chiasson while Perez was on top with an advantageous position, landing shots. At some point, the UFC has to have its own rotation of refs. Instead of using locals. This guy is atrocious.” Porrata does appear to have some experience and was given preliminary fights.
Clearly, there’s plenty of backlash against referee Raul Porrata. However, it’s yet to be seen whether the UFC decides to do anything about it. What do you think the UFC should do?
