UFC Vegas 122 main event saw a critical moment unfold after the referee penalized a headlining fighter for landing an eye poke, which prompted fans to applaud the official for taking firm action against a foul.

Veteran referee Marc Goddard officiated the middleweight headliner fight between Brendan Allen and Christian Leroy Duncan at UFC Vegas 122. Both fighters started competitively, with each having moments of their own. But Allen began complaining about Duncan fighting with his palms open and nearly poking him in the eye.

Goddard initially gave Duncan a small warning. However, the British fighter did not seem to pay attention to the referee’s instructions. In the opening minutes of the second round, ‘CLD’ ended up landing the eye poke that prompted Marc Goddard to deduct a point. 

Duncan losing a point at a crucial moment in the fight made him more aggressive in the later exchanges. He started aiming for a knockout and landed some very damaging shots in the third, fourth, and fifth rounds. However, Brendan Allen found openings for takedowns, and he did not waste a second and started using his grappling.

‘All In’ landed a crucial takedown in the final round and pinned Duncan against the cage. There, Allen finally managed to take Duncan’s back and locked in a rear-naked choke. For a couple of seconds, ‘CLD’ tried his best to fight off Allen’s hands to escape the choke, but he ended up submitting at 2:46 of the 5th round.

Brendan Allen’s impressive performance was applauded by the fans online. But alongside the fighter, fans also praised referee Marc Goddard for taking prompt action against tonight’s main event fighter.

Fans react to referee taking Christian Leroy Duncan’s point away at the UFC Vegas 122 headliner 

One fan wrote, “Marc Goddard takes 1 point from Christian Leroy Duncan for an eye poke. I don’t mind it. Fighters need to close their fingers. #UFCVegas122.” 

Another fan also praised Marc Goddard, writing, “He had not poked Allen prior to this, but received a soft warning at the start of the round for having his fingers near Allen’s eyes. THIS IS HOW IT SHOULD BE!!!!”  

The long-time British ref’s firm decision-making is definitely applaudable. But this is not the first time Goddard has made such tough calls. Earlier this year, Goddard deducted a point after a fighter made a costly mistake by landing an eye poke.

The incident happened during the Francisco Prado vs. Charles Radtke bout at UFC 327 in April. After two competitive rounds, Prado delivered a knuckle-deep poke to Radtke’s eye that halted the fight for a moment. The ringside doctors rushed in to check Radtke, who revealed having vision issues during the fight.

Looking at the severity of the foul, referee Marc Goddard immediately deducted a point from Prado. As a result, Prado ended up losing the fight via unanimous decision. At that time, fans also praised the long-time referee for his decisiveness in deducting the point. 

Now, after Goddard showed his resolve once again, fans continued praising the veteran ref. In fact, a user believes Goddard has set a standard tonight that referees need to follow from now on.

The fan wrote, “So now refs have to take a point away for the first foul in every fight moving forward. If not, this is a horrible point deduction.” 

Goddard’s officiating style is definitely much stricter, especially on fouls such as eye pokes. On the other hand, it remains true that no two referees officiate a bout the same way. Bringing that up, another fan painted a contrast between Goddard and Herb Dean.

“Herb Dean would NEVERRRR,” the fan wrote. It is no secret to MMA fans that Herb Dean had a terrible year in terms of officiating, particularly for not calling out fouls. The long-time ref was entangled in multiple controversies, including a high-profile one with Alex Pereira.

In that case, the fan drawing the comparison seems fitting on this occasion. But Goddard has also had his fair share of controversies.

Another fan kept the sentiment alive, writing, “That’s right, and how should it be!!! Instant reduced point!!! You are a professional; there is no need for warnings!!!!” Then a user wanted Goddard to officiate Ciryl Gane’s fights: “Good. Hope this picks up by the time Gane fights.”

Gane has earned a notorious reputation for committing multiple fouls in his fights.

From Alex Pereira and Tom Aspinall to Jon Jones, all have felt the consequences of Gane’s fouls. So it would be interesting to see whether the British ref ends up officiating his championship defense against Hosh Hokit at UFC 334 on November 14th.

Regardless, Marc Goddard receiving some praise is a breath of fresh air in the UFC, which often draws backlash for referee blunders.