Referee Jason Herzog deducted a point from Deiveson Figueiredo for a groin kick at UFC 256
UFC 256 had a huge main event with Deiveson Figueiredo defending his Flyweight title after just 21 days.
This was the quickest turnaround in the history of the UFC for a title defence and the fight lived up to the billing.
Brandon Moreno put on a dogged fight and the result was a majority draw. The pair should meet again in the future but there was some controversy too.
Moreno was on the end of a nasty eye poke and referee Jason Herzog was quick to warn Figueiredo over this.
The God of War then delivered a huge groin kick and Moreno was completely winded. While most UFC stars have to wear cups during fights, kicks still hurt and the challenger needed a lot of time to get going.
Figueiredo claimed this was inadvertent and apologised to Moreno but Herzog decided to deduct a point from the Brazilian’s score.
This was a huge decision in the fight as the point could have seen Figueiredo win the fight. Of course, he kept the belt with the draw but some fans weren’t happy with this call.
Herzog, for his part, seems to be relishing his job in the UFC and trolled a fan who claimed that it was the referee that made a mistake.
A big call from Herzog
Herzog might be the best referee in the UFC and earned praise from all quarters. Many reporters and UFC fighters also backed him for deducting a point from Figueiredo.
The kick was dangerous and it could have left to a lot of problems for Moreno. Herzog also got some praise from John McCarthy after another incident where he had to intervene in an eye poke but give control back on the card.
The score card from the event also highlighted that the deducted point would have been a game changer for the champion.
The job of a referee isn’t easy in any sport and it is even tougher in the world of MMA given how dangerous the sport is.
Herzog, however, isn’t flustered by any criticism that gets levelled at him, and he certainly is one of the best to have ever done the job.
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