The UFC Fight Night 257 main card opened with a welterweight clash between China’s Taiyilake Nueraji and Conor McGregor’s SBG Ireland teammate Kiefer Crosbie. Nueraji entered the Octagon riding a five-fight win streak into his UFC debut after delays following his Road to UFC run. Kiefer Crosbie, meanwhile, had joined the promotion in 2023 but carried two first-round submission losses into the bout. Ultimately, Nueraji scored a decisive finish in his debut, though it came with controversy after he blasted Crosbie with an illegal knee at UFC Shanghai.

What had been a one-sided fight turned sour when the Chengdu native, dominating on the ground, unleashed a blatant illegal knee on his grounded opponent. Replays showed ‘BDK’ struggling to regain his balance and bleeding from a nasty cut across his face. Referee Marc Goddard immediately deducted two points from Nueraji, but the damage was clear. It’s been a week since UFC Shanghai card, and Conor McGregor’s teammate has now doubled down on an explosive rant against the UFC official, accusing the referee of derailing his career. So what did he say?

Referee blasted after letting Conor McGregor’s teammate fight on

Just a few hours ago, Kiefer Crosbie took to Instagram to share a clip of the moment when ‘Super Saiyan’ landed the illegal knee that cut across his face. In the caption, the 35-year-old unleashed his frustration: “No doctor checked on me after the fight. No brain scan organized. No concussion test or questions asked how I was doing etc. No medication given even though I have major concussion and whiplash. Just stitched up and fu–ed in a taxi and good luck. Some buzz.” But that wasn’t all.

In the comments section, Kiefer Crosbie doubled down, writing: “Anyone with a fu–ing braincell can see in this clip I’m distorted from the knee with blood in my eyes and clearly shouldn’t be making decisions that quick. Makes me sick honestly. Welcome to the big leagues.” His anger didn’t stop there, as he took aim at the medical oversight in Shanghai. “Ironically enough the knee to the head wasn’t even the scu–iest thing to happen in that fight,” he added. “Chinese doctor who glanced at the cut without assessing me at all coincidentally enough aye and rushed back in with no rest from the ref. ‘Be careful,’ he says.”

While UFC Shanghai thrilled fans with highlight knockouts and all-out wars, the officiating came under fire, with figures like Marc Goddard and even Herb Dean facing criticism for the Aljamain Sterling vs Brian Ortega bout. Anyway, after the cut, no medical staff rushed in to treat his wounds, but referee Marc Goddard briefly stepped in to pause the fight, giving Crosbie the chance to take a DQ win. Instead, Kiefer Crosbie chose to continue, only to be knocked out by the Chinese fighter. While the decision was ultimately his, Kiefer Crosbie has expressed frustration with the referee for not allowing him enough time to recover. So, what did he say?

Kiefer Crosbie slams Marc Goddard over UFC Shanghai stoppage

The 10-6 fighter took to Instagram after the fight, posting a picture from the bout with the caption: “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 while still concussed and confused is fucking ridiculous. Playing with my life. Ridiculous call.”

Kiefer Crosbie was indeed sent back into action quicker than many expected. Still, it remains unclear whether he actually requested more time to recover before the fight resumed. Adding fuel to the fire, McGregor’s teammate later shared his own frustrations on Instagram Stories, posting a clip from the fight and criticizing the referee’s handling of the situation.

“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!” he wrote. It was undeniably a brave effort from the Irishman, stepping back in after taking an illegal knee to the face. That said, what are your thoughts on the management of the UFC Shanghai card?