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Reigning UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic will defend his division title against former 265-pound kingpin Daniel Cormier in the upcoming UFC 252 pay-per-view (PPV) main event, set for Sat., Aug. 15, 2020 inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Joining them inside the cage will be longtime referee Marc Goddard, fresh off his chaotic shoving match in Abu Dhabi. Scoring the contest will be Derek Cleary, Sal D’Amato and Junichiro Kamijo, who bank a meager $1,600 for their thankless roles as cageside judges.
That’s according to a report from MMA Junkie.
Goddard, a former light heavyweight bruiser with more than 15 years experience inside the cage, has drawn criticism from some of the sport’s biggest mouths, including former UFC champion Conor McGregor and professional troll Colby Covington, just to name a few.
All in a day’s work.
“You will get criticized, make no bones about that, regardless of the sport — the man in black is the one everyone wants to shout at,” Goddard told BBC.com. “That doesn’t bother me, I am not a shrinking violet, it goes with the territory.”
Just ask this “salty” champ.
“My decisions are made on fairness and the appropriate action at the time,” Goddard continued. “I thrive on procedures, that’s why the role of referee suits me. We have a rule book, we know what’s good and what’s bad and we stick to it. A referee has to have that clarity of mind. One second too late and you’re the dog’s dinner, one second too early… you’re also the dog’s dinner.”
For the rest of the UFC 252 fight card and line up click here.