Who Is Gary Copeland? Ex-US Marine and MMA Referee Leaves UFC Fans Divided at Atlantic City

Garry Copeland has found himself into the limelight after some of his decisions today at UFC Atlantic City. Copeland is a veteran referee who has been on the job for 20 years. However, even after having so much experience to boast of, perhaps things aren’t in his favor.

Garry Copeland oversaw multiple fights at UFC Atlantic City and made some interesting calls. Some were based by the people and others, praised. He was the referee who took a point away from Herbert Burns for landing multiple low-blows on his opponent, Julio Arce.

He also protected Anton Turkalj from taking excessive damage after being knocked down for good by his opponent, Ibo Aslan. Unfortunately, he would find much criticism for allowing Chris Weidman to get away with two eye-pokes as he won over Bruno Silva.

That’s right, that was the move that landed Copeland in hot waters. But who is he? Where does he come from? Did you know that Copeland is also U.S. Police Chief and a former Marine? Clearly, he’s had a lot of experience in field where sharp judgement is a must.

Copeland has previously also worked for UFC’s competitor, the PFL. The organization has previously called him their lucky charm too. He has previously been the referee for 153 fights with the Weidman fight being his latest one. But did that last one cause too much of an uproar?

Fans split over Garry Copeland’s decision

Chris Weidman came out in the open about the eye-pokes and addressed them in full detail. He also advised his opponent, Bruno Silva, to not go down even after being poked in both the eyes because that gives the ref the wrong signal. Here’s how fans reacted to Copeland stopping the fight.

Also Read: UFC 300: Aljamain Sterling Plans to Mimic Max Holloway Fight to Beat Calvin Kattar

While some claimed controversy, others had their minds made up.

This fan believed he was having a bad night.

Many criticized the eye-poke going unnoticed.

One fan labelled him the worst.

Clearly, there’s much that goes into making such big decisions because it specifically affects fighters’ careers. But do you think his decisions were wrong during UFC Atlantic City? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Watch this space as the story develops.

Also Read: Taylor Swift Support Not Enough as Travis and Jason Kelce Lag Behind Joe Rogan on Spotify Charts by a Huge Margin