Cesar Almeida got the win over Ihor Potieria in a fight that kicked off the televised portion of the UFC 307 prelims, but the story of the fight more revolves around the bout’s referee, Dave Seljestad.
Within the first couple of rounds in the fight, Potieria was the victim of four eye pokes and a low blow. Under most circumstances, at least one point deduction would have been handed out.
But in a world of MMA where referees are coming under fire for not enforcing the rules adequately, Seljestad’s work served as the latest prime example. The official did not even give as much as a hard warning during the course of these fouls.
Stretching into the third frame, Seljestad also separated the two from the clinch multiple times after just a matter of seconds in the position. That drew baffled reactions from both the commentary team and fans inside the Delta Center.
The widely criticized bout ultimately went Almeida’s way, with the Brazilian getting the nod from all three judges.
Referee Slammed For Lack Of Rule Enforcement At UFC 307
Potieria gets poked in the eye AGAIN – a fourth time – and the ref doesn't even bother to stop the contest to give him time to recover.
What a godawful ref. Send him back to the regional scene to work on his craft. Fucking yikes.
— Luke Thomas
(@lthomasnews) October 6, 2024
(@lthomasnews)
Get this idiot out of the cage. Who is this referee…. #UFC307
— Marcel Dorff
(@BigMarcel24)
Dave Seljestad a MMA Referee who has Refereed 7 UFC Fights with the worst performance I’ve ever seen as a referee in MMA.
I know this isn’t an Easy Job and everyone makes mistakes and needs to grow from them but this was awful
— Kevin (@realkevink) October 6, 2024
This referee is like an impractical Jokers episode
— ????????? ????
(@SignatureSuga)
This is one of the worst referee I have ever seen #UFC307 pic.twitter.com/aQ5CQGvLzx
— Kem-maka
(@May_twenty3rd)
With the win, Almeida rebounds from his UFC 302 loss to Roman Kopylov earlier this year, leaving him now 3-1 in the Octagon since coming over from Dana White’s Contender Series.
Potieria, meanwhile, has now lost four of his last five fights.
Continue Reading ‘Get This Idiot Out The Cage’ – Fans Slam Referee For Unpunished Eye Pokes, Rapid Clinch Separations In UFC 307 Fight at MMA News.