UFC Shanghai delivered an electrifying night for fans worldwide, with fighters showcasing thrilling knockouts and intense scraps throughout the card. However, the quality of refereeing in some bouts came under scrutiny, as fans and experts criticized legendary officials like Herb Dean and Marc Goddard for their calls. Conor McGregor’s teammate from SBG Ireland, Kiefer Crosbie, faced Chinese prospect Taiyilake Nueraji in the prelims, and the bout ended in a massive controversy.

Crosbie took an illegal knee from Nueraji in the first round, which opened a cut above his eye. Referee Marc Goddard stepped in to momentarily stop the fight, which provided Crosbie with the chance to secure a DQ victory. But he chose to continue—only to get knocked out by the Chinese fighter. While it was ultimately Crosbie’s decision to keep fighting, he reportedly harbors some frustration toward the referee for not allowing enough time to recover. So, what did he say?

Kiefer Crosbie is not happy with Marc Goddard over the UFC Shanghai stoppage  

The Irish welterweight posted a photo of his fight on Instagram and captioned, “Yeah, take away a point and I’ll carry on. Sound 👍🏼“My job is to keep you safe at all times How come I didn’t get 5 minutes @marcgoddard_uk. 45 seconds I got and couldn’t even see straight or remember what happened. Obviously I was gonna continue because that’s what fighters do but to rush me back in whilst still concussed and confused is fucking ridiculous. Playing with my life. Ridiculous call. 

Well, Crosbie was definitely brought back a little quicker than expected. However, it’s still unclear whether he actually requested more time to recover before the fight resumed. But that’s not all! McGregor’s teammate also took to Instagram Stories, uploading a video of the fight and sharing his frustration over the UFC ref. He wrote, “45 seconds later I’m rushed back in. Don’t even remember the doctor being in the cage. Where’s my 5 minutes rest? F– a DQ, all I wanted was a couple of minutes to get my vision back. Scum!” 

That was definitely a heroic effort from the Irish fighter, stepping back into the fight after taking an illegal knee to the face. However, Crosbie wasn’t the only one dealing with controversial moments. Even Aljamain Sterling, in the co-main event, has faced some issues, prompting a scathing reaction from his coach. 

Aljamain Sterling’s coach reacts to Herb Dean’s bad call  

The former UFC bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling, faced Brian Ortega in a high-stakes co-main event at UFC Shanghai. At some point in the fight, Ortega began complaining about an eye poke, which was clearly seen as a glove in the replay. Still, Herb Dean gave ‘T-City’ some time off, even though he was taking quite a beating.

Even in the fourth round, Dean gave ‘Funkmaster’ a warning for inactivity, which prompted Sterling to abandon a dominant position and stand back up. Fans were far from happy with how the veteran ref handled the fight. Aljamain Sterling’s coach, Ray Longo, who also trains Merab Dvalishvili, took to X to share his disappointment. He wrote, “Horrible call,” criticizing Herb Dean’s decision.

That said, both veteran referees faced tremendous backlash for their calls inside the cage. With that in mind, which ref do you think messed up at UFC Shanghai? Let us know by commenting below!