Brendan Allen had hoped his victory over Reinier de Ridder would put him firmly in the spotlight at UFC Vancouver last week. Instead, all eyes turned to referee Dan Miragliotta — and not for the right reasons. What was otherwise a blockbuster, near-flawless fight card became overshadowed by several questionable calls from Miragliotta. The controversy began in the prelims with the Drew Dober vs. Kyle Prepolec bout but reached its peak during the main card. Experts and fans criticized the veteran referee for effectively denying Kyle Nelson what could have been a first-round knockout.

In that opening round, Nelson landed a huge knockdown, sending Matt Frevola to the mat and unleashing a barrage of ground-and-pound, most of which went unanswered. Yet with three seconds remaining, Miragliotta stepped in, believing he heard the bell. Many fans called it a “robbery.” The controversy continued in the co-main event between Mike Malott and Kevin Holland. Despite ‘Proper’ landing two low blows in Round 1, Miragliotta refrained from deducting any points, drawing widespread criticism from fans, media, and MMA experts alike. Still, one UFC veteran voice has defended Miragliotta.

Josh Thomson backs referee Dan Miragliotta after UFC Vancouver blunders

On the Weighing In podcast, UFC and Strikeforce veteran Josh Thomson expressed relief that Dan Miragliotta’s controversial calls at UFC Vancouver didn’t escalate further, thanks to the victories of Mike Malott and Kyle Nelson. Despite the referee’s questionable judgment, the right fighters ultimately came out on top.

“Why I’m not as upset over the whole situation is the right person won,” Josh Thomson said. “You know? And that also goes into one of the other fights later on, with the Kyle Nelson and Matt Frevola situation, also with Dan Miragliotta. Very similar, but it goes into that where I’m like, okay, the right person won. Luckily, the right person won. It would be a lot worse, for Dan, I believe, (with) the media coming down on him, the commission probably coming down on him.”

Thomson also highlighted the challenges of officiating, noting that refereeing isn’t as simple as it appears. It demands quick judgment in a high-paced, high-pressure environment. Miragliotta himself comes from a mixed martial arts background and has trained in multiple disciplines. Having been with the UFC since UFC 78, Miragliotta carries high expectations, with a career that includes officiating 1,266 MMA fights. Beyond the cage, he has even taken on acting roles, including a small part in Marvel’s Daredevil.

Reflecting on the demands of the job, Thomson said, “There are fighters trying to get into it right now because they enjoy being on the road, traveling, and doing these things and being part of the sport still. But it’s not an easy job.”

He added, “There’s a lot of work and homework that goes into it. You have to know the fighter you’ll be refereeing, and some of them don’t actually get their fights until the day of because they don’t want the betting lines to be skewed. They don’t want people to know who’s refereeing what until that day, because betting is more involved now. So there’s a lot.”

Although Dan Miragliotta has been a longtime presence in the UFC, he came under intense scrutiny between 2022 and 2023, when even UFC heavyweight star Derek Lewis publicly criticized the controversial referee, accusing him of conspiring against him.

Derrick Lewis refuses to fight under Dan Miragliotta again

Dan Miragliotta has long been no stranger to controversy. Earlier this year at UFC Kansas, he drew criticism for stopping two fights after mistakenly hearing the 10-second round clapper — a decision considered even more questionable than letting the round continue. The controversy intensified in 2023 when Derek Lewis publicly accused Miragliotta of targeting him on not one, but two occasions.

Frustrated with the officiating, Lewis claimed that Miragliotta had prematurely stopped his fights while he was on a three-fight losing streak. “Come on, man. Dan Miragliotta, whatever his name is, he’s got a conspiracy out on me. The last two fights I lost, he’s been the ref. If he’s the ref on this fight, I’m going to be like, ‘I don’t want him,’” Derek Lewis declared. “If they’re still going to try to put him in the cage and he’s going to say, ‘Fighter, you ready? Fighter, you ready?’ I’m going to say, ‘No.’”

Lewis even asked for a veteran referee, such as Herb Dean, to oversee his fight. The Texas native had just suffered a knockout from Sergei Pavlovich in 55 seconds and then lost to Tai Tuivasa in two minutes. With Dan Miragliotta once again under the spotlight, questions about his officiating continue, and whether the commission will take action remains uncertain. Stay tuned.