Marlon Moraes of Brazil punches Cory Sandhagen in their bantamweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event inside Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on October 11, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Marc Goddard was called out by a few for his stoppage of the Marlon Moraes vs Cory Sandhagen fight
Cory Sandhagen vs Marlon Moraes will be remembered for the incredible kick that was used to floor the Brazilian.
Sandhagen had also claimed that Moraes had broken an orbital bone early in the clash, and it was the American who went for the kill in the second round.
After another kick, Sandhagen started throwing punches on a downed Moraes. Marc Goddard, the referee, stopped the fight quickly afterwards.
Moraes was seen trying to stumble up but Sandhagen wheeled away in celebration. As is the case with such fights, many people questioned Goddard and claimed he had stopped the fight early.
The life of the UFC referee is tough as they have to make a tough decision of calling off a fight or letting it continue.
Goddard opened up on this clash and explained that Moraes was unable to stand. The Brazilian also thanked Goddard for stopping the fight and he hit out at some of his detractors too:
While most UFC fans want to see a crazy ending and a downed opponent given the chance to get back up and into the fight, the referee is much closer to the action and can take a proper decision.
Letting a fight continue going for too long can lead to major damage for an MMA star. Goddard is one of the top referees in the world and his comments are an eye-opener for those who hit out at the authorities.
The referees do make mistakes, but that is human, but they are there to also ensure the safety of a fighter and end clashes if one is in real danger.
Sandhagen certainly got some nasty hits on Moraes and Goddard did his bit to save the Brazilian for another fight.
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