Tim Elliott got his comeback win at Noche UFC. Referee Jason Herzog, however, might have stolen the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. The veteran flyweight picked up an important victory over Edgar Chairez on Saturday, but the result was quickly overshadowed by yet another officiating controversy. And as expected, fans had a lot to say about it.

The 39-year-old stepped inside Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, looking to bounce back from his unanimous decision loss to Steve Erceg at UFC Perth in May. Chairez, meanwhile, came in riding a three-fight winning streak and wasted no time reminding everyone why his awkward style is such a nightmare to deal with.

The Mexican fighter stunned Tim Elliott with a right hand early in the opening round, dropping him to his knee. The Kansas native recovered and began answering with kicks, while Edgar Chairez remained patient and continued looking for openings with his right hand.

Elliott eventually found his own success, rocking ‘Puro Chicali’ with a left hand and forcing him to stumble backward into the fence. The veteran pointed at his opponent as if to signal that he had returned the favor before taking the fight to the ground and finishing the round with heavy elbows.

The second round brought more back-and-forth action, but it also delivered the moment that had fans talking. Tim Elliott appeared to suffer an eye poke during an exchange, and then it happened again later in the round.

The second one looked pretty clear on the broadcast, yet referee Jason Herzog let the action continue without stopping things or issuing an immediate warning.

The 39-year-old fought through it, trading kicks with Edgar Chairez before taking him down. From inside guard, the veteran went to work with ground-and-pound, leaving the Mexican fighter with some serious swelling and bleeding around his face.

The Mexican still had his moments in the final round, catching Tim Elliott with a counter that rocked him just over a minute in. The American answered with another takedown, but the 30-year-old scrambled out quickly and denied him the chance to settle into top position.

Elliott eventually got him down again along the fence and controlled the rest of the contest, doing enough to secure the comeback victory via a 29-28 decision across all three scorecards. The win tonight at UFC Noche moved Elliott’s record to 22-14-1 overall and 11-12 inside the UFC.

It was also his fifth victory in his last seven fights, adding another solid name to a resume that already includes wins over Kai Asakura, Sumudaerji, and Tagir Ulanbekov.

But, as is becoming way too familiar in the UFC, the result wasn’t the only thing fans were talking about. Online, fans questioned why referee Jason Herzog didn’t step in after Tim Elliott appeared to be poked in the eye.

So, it was no surprise that the incident quickly became another talking point in what has been a growing list of officiating complaints surrounding the UFC in 2026.

Fans question referee Jason Herzog after Tim Elliott’s eye-poke controversy at UFC Noche

And with officiating complaints popping up at what feels like every other UFC event, fans are starting to see a bigger problem. This isn’t just about one missed foul anymore.

For many fans, Tim Elliott’s fight at UFC Noche was another example of referees failing to spot fouls or step in when things get messy. And when fighters are left dealing with something as serious as an eye poke, fans understandably want to know why the action wasn’t stopped.

The online reaction centered almost entirely on Herzog, with several fans accusing the veteran referee of missing an obvious foul and failing to protect Elliott.

“Is Jason Herzog blind? How is he missing these eye pokes?” one viewer wrote.

Another fan questioned Herzog’s inconsistency when it comes to warnings for open hands, writing, “Jason Herzog still randomly picks and chooses when he wants to warn fighters for open hands as if he was never accused of rigging fights in the past year.”

Others were even more direct in their criticism. “Jason Herzog, wtf are you doing? Elliot just got eye-poked clear as day???” one fan tweeted.

“Jason Herzog, you absolutely suck!” another wrote. “What is @JasonHerzogMMA watching??!!” a viewer asked.

The criticism also extended beyond Herzog, with fans once again directing their frustration toward the UFC’s officiating standards.

“Refs proving again they have no idea what they are doing @ufc,” one tweet read.

“Jason Herzog is genuinely blind,” another fan claimed.

One viewer argued that Jason Herzog’s approach had become a recurring problem, writing, “Genuinely, what does Jason Herzog do? Every fight he lets fouls go and does NOTHING.”

Another fan simply accused the referee of trying to undermine Elliott, posting, “Jason Herzog trying to rob my boy.”

Well, it surely looks like fight fans are getting more and more frustrated with the level of officiating in the promotion. After all, this isn’t exactly the first time officiating has found itself in the crosshairs this year.

Earlier in 2026, Alex Pereira publicly called out referee Herb Dean after illegal strikes to the back of his head went unpunished during his loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250. Dean also faced criticism for not taking stronger action when Sharaputdin Magomedov repeatedly pulled Michel Pereira’s hair during their fight.

It is worth noting that Jason Herzog himself has faced intense backlash from media figures like Ariel Helwani and Jon Anik in the past. One of the more infamous examples came at UFC Abu Dhabi last year, when Herzog allowed the Mohammad Yahya vs. Steven Nguyen bout to continue despite Nguyen dropping Yahya a record-tying six times.

Yahya’s face swelled up badly, and the fight was only stopped by a doctor between rounds. For many critics, the bout should have been called off much sooner.

And this wasn’t even Herzog’s first major stoppage controversy. Back in 2020, he faced intense scrutiny for the delayed stoppage in Glover Teixeira vs. Anthony Smith.

Smith absorbed brutal punishment in the third and fourth rounds, losing teeth and suffering broken bones before the fight was finally stopped.

Herzog later issued a public statement taking full responsibility for what happened. While he didn’t directly name the fight, he made it clear he was referring to the incident.

“This sport of MMA is beautiful, it’s pure,” Herzog wrote on X. “And an incredible teacher. Some lessons are more harsh than others. I’ve seen a lot of opinions about what should have (happened), who was at fault.

“But let me be clear, there is only one person to blame. Me. I am responsible for each fighter I am entrusted to oversee. I will take this experience, make the necessary changes, and get better.”

So, yeah, it’s no surprise that fans are now starting to see a pattern. With complaints coming out of nearly every event, the criticism is no longer about one isolated mistake. For many, Tim Elliott’s fight was just another example of referees failing to spot fouls or protect fighters when things get chaotic.

The 39-year-old got the decision win at UFC Noche, but the reaction online showed just how quickly a solid performance can get buried when a referee appears to miss a significant foul.

And with eye pokes and other officiating mistakes continuing to spark controversy across UFC events, the pressure is only getting bigger. Fans want referees held to a higher standard, and more importantly, they want fighters protected before another missed call changes a fight or puts someone in unnecessary danger.