“Happy” Marc Goddard Defends Israel Adesanya Stoppage

Marc Goddard should be considered ‘referee of the year’. After his heroic save of Israel Adesanya from the deadly hooks of Alex Pereira, UFC fans have found increased respect for all the referees. Marc Goddard had stopped Adesanya from taking too much physical damage and interrupted the fight. This ended up with Pereira winning the Middleweight title match through a TKO. Even though Adesanya is upset with the stoppage, Goddard seems to be proud of it.

The title fight had many highlights but the TKO conclusion surely was the best of all.

Why is Israel Adesanya upset?

In his last match against Alex Pereira, ‘The Last Stylebender’ lost the title due to a TKO. The UFC 281 main event featured a brilliant fight that ended up with a stoppage.

The referee of the match, Marc Goddard, had to interrupt the fight after Adesanya lost his balance upon receiving a big hook from Pereira.

Read More: ‘13 Shots Were Left Unanswered’ – Official Ref Marc Goddard Responds After Late Israel Adesanya Stoppage Claims at UFC 281; Fans Approve

On several occasions, since the lost match, Adesanya has criticized the referee’s call. He has often considered it to be the reason for his defeat in the match.

How does Goddard react to it?

Despite the rising controversy of the stoppage, Marc Goddard, has stuck to his words.

“That’s my job, I’m down the line, and if I done that fight again, 11 times out of 10, I wouldn’t change a thing…” says the referee on the red carpet of the World MMA Awards.

Goddard also adds, “People find it weird when we say we’re there to protect the fighters when they knock hell’s bells out of each other for 25 minutes.”

This shows how dedicated he is when it comes to his job and how he wouldn’t change his decision for anything in the world.

The drawbacks of Adesanya’s reaction

As mentioned before, Israel Adesanya wasn’t too happy with the stoppage of the match. This caused him to criticize the referee everywhere possible.

In return, he received a backlash from his opponent Alex Pereira through his official Instagram account.

Watch This Story: Five times Alex Pereira mocked Israel Adesanya ahead of UFC 281

Marc Goddard’s action has received praise from fans across the globe. Despite the controversy and Adesanya’s upset, the referee doesn’t regret his duty. What were your thoughts when you first heard about the news?