The fight night rhythm at UFC 324 was rolling along as expected with crowd noise, finishes, and momentum, until it suddenly wasn’t. In a sport where chaos is usually confined to the cage, the most unsettling moment came after the action paused. Veteran referee Mark Smith was helped out of the Octagon, visibly limping, supported by two officials on either side as cameras caught him being escorted backstage.

Smith was inside the cage for the Ateba Gautier vs. Andrey Pulyaev bout on the UFC 324 prelims. The contest went the full 15 minutes, and at the time, nothing appeared out of the ordinary. Both fighters exited without serious visible damage, and Smith completed the assignment as usual.

But almost immediately afterwards, the clip spread across X. Spinning Backfist captured the mood perfectly with “Mark Smith has been carried out. Hope he is alright.” And just like that, the MMA community stopped debating scorecards and finishes and started asking a much simpler question: Is he okay?

At the time of writing, there is no official information regarding what happened to Smith. That silence only fueled speculation. Smith isn’t just another official; he’s one of the most experienced referees in the sport, trusted with high-stakes bouts across divisions. Seeing him unable to walk out on his own shifted the tone of the night in an instant.

The lack of immediate context left fans filling in the blanks themselves. Some tried to pinpoint a moment. Others jumped straight to emotion. A few, inevitably, mixed frustration into the concern. That range of reactions says a lot about how embedded referees are in the fabric of MMA, often unnoticed, until something goes wrong.

Fans lay out their concerns as referee Mark Smith’s injury footage goes viral at UFC 324

One fan wrote, “What the hell happened to Mark Smith?” That raw confusion summed up the first wave of reactions. There was no slow-motion replay or commentator explanation to lean on, which made the moment feel abrupt and unsettling. In a sport obsessed with detail, not knowing why something happened can be just as troubling as the event itself.

Another fan speculated, “Looked like he twisted his ankle at the end of round 3.” This was one of the more grounded takes. Referees move constantly, circling, pivoting, stepping in quickly. A misstep on a sweat-slick canvas is all it takes. While purely speculative, it reflects how fans tried to rationalize the situation rather than jump to worst-case scenarios.

One fan wrote, “Hope the legend is okay, you hate to see it.” This reaction cut through the noise. Mark Smith has officiated countless UFC bouts and is widely respected for prioritizing fighter safety. Moments like this remind fans that referees aren’t just background props; they’re people who put themselves in physical risk every time they step inside the cage.

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Another added, “I think he hurt his leg at the end of the [Gautier] fight.” Again, speculation, but it shows how closely fans were retracing the night, trying to locate a trigger point.

And finally, another fan wrote, “He’ll be fine, dude flew jets for a living… a top gun.” That comment added a different tone to the discussion, one rooted in perspective rather than panic. Mark Smith isn’t just a longtime MMA referee; he’s a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and former F-16 fighter pilot, having served 21 years before retiring in 2012. For many fans, that background reframed the moment.

What this moment ultimately revealed is how quickly the MMA community can shift from debate to unity. Until the UFC provides an update, everything remains guesswork, but the prevailing sentiment is clear: people want Mark Smith to be okay.