Kevin Holland, one of the UFC’s most active fighters, was stepping into the Octagon for his fifth fight of the year. Across from him stood Canada’s own Mike Malott, the face of a nation’s rising MMA hopes, hungry for momentum as he was riding a two-fight win streak. The Rogers Arena crowd was electric, ready for war. But the moment Dan Miragliotta’s name was announced as the referee, the cheers turned to boos. Few could’ve predicted just how much worse the night would get.

It didn’t take long for chaos to unfold. The first round began at a measured pace, both fighters trading jabs and hooks. But midway through, Malott’s teep kick went astray, landing squarely on Holland’s groin. The crowd gasped, the referee paused the action, and Holland took a moment to recover.

Moments later, a second and far worse low blow from Malott when they were both against the cage, brought Holland crashing to the mat in agony. The replay made it clear: it wasn’t a glancing shot, it was a clean, fight-altering foul. Yet Dan Miragliotta didn’t take a point.

Ariel Helwani immediately fired off a post on X, “Holy crap. No point deduction?! Wow. Dan having a nightmare evening.  How is that possible?!?!?” The veteran journalist didn’t stop there, questioning, “Why didn’t the doctor check during the 5 min break?! Why now? What is this lunacy.”

Even MMA reporter Adam Martin couldn’t believe what he was seeing as he wrote, “Big Dan just told Holland he will lose by DQ if he can’t continue…. uh, no. Ref isn’t doing a great job in this fight.” His words captured the absurdity of the situation; the referee had seemingly misunderstood the rule, suggesting Holland might lose by disqualification for not continuing after being fouled.

The fight went the distance, and Mike Malott ended the night with his hand raised, securing a win for Canada, but the narrative was already written: a controversial refereeing call had overshadowed the contest entirely. Yet, this wasn’t the only questionable decision made by Dan Miragliotta at UFC Vancouver!

Miragliotta’s error during Kyle Nelson vs Matt Frevola adds to his woes at UFC Vancouver

For Dan Miragliotta, this wasn’t his first brush with controversy in Vancouver. Earlier during the card, the veteran official caused widespread confusion when he prematurely stopped a fight between Kyle Nelson and Matt Frevola.

With just three seconds left in the first round, Miragliotta dove in as Frevola’s head bounced off the canvas. Nelson raised his hands in victory, shaking Frevola’s hand in what looked like a respectful finish, only for Miragliotta to step between them and announce the fight wasn’t over. Even UFC analyst Daniel Cormier, who had begun walking to the cage for the post-fight interview, was turned away mid-step. The audience sat in stunned silence as the fighters resumed action.

UFC executive Marc Ratner joined the broadcast mid-fight, revealing that Miragliotta claimed he’d heard the horn go off. Ratner called it “a mistake.” Replays confirmed the truth: there were still three full seconds left. The horn had never sounded. That blunder could have ended disastrously. Nelson ultimately went on to win by unanimous decision, but not before ten more minutes of chaos.

As such, Dan Miragliotta’s night at UFC Vancouver will go down as one of the most controversial in recent memory. Two fights, two glaring errors, and a fan base left questioning how one of the UFC’s most experienced referees could lose control not once, but twice in the same event. What should have been a showcase for Mike Malott on home soil and another test of Kevin Holland’s durability instead became a reminder that a single officiating mistake can rewrite the story of an entire fight card.