Many consider Steve Mazzagatti a hero for his 17 years with the Las Vegas County Fire Department. However, one other thing that made him famous was handling UFC’s most controversial decisions. He then became one of the UFC’s most controversial referees. Talking about controversies, one of his most disputed stoppages was Jon Jones’ disqualification loss to Matt Hamill. After the ABC lifted the ban from 12-6 elbows, there is a huge debate on overturning that decision. Meanwhile, Dana White, who dislikes him the most for this, shared at the UFC 304 presser why he dislikes Mazzagatti.
At the UFC 304 post-fight conference, White discussed the possibility that Jon Jones would never have faced his only loss if Steve Mazzagatti hadn’t been the referee. Criticizing the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the UFC CEO added it was at its weakest during the controversial stoppage that impacted Jones’ career. Despite Jon Jones’ request to restore his record, it still remains a question of whether that ever happens.
White stated at the conference, “At a time when Nevada State Athletic Commission was at its weakest, the guy running it was a zero. Mazzagatti should’ve never been in there and the list goes on and on… and that should’ve been and should be overturned. I’ve been fighting for it for years.”
Mazzagatti made many questionable calls during his career as an official, which put him at odds with many fighters and even the UFC president. During a media event for UFC 161, Dana White called him one of the worst referees. However, Mazzagatti will always be infamous for making extremely early and bizarre stoppages.
Handing Jon Jones His Sole UFC Defeat Isn’t Steve Mazzagatti’s Only Controversial Decision
While Mazzagatti is infamous for handing Jon Jones his sole UFC defeat and making questionable, extremely early, and bizarre stoppage calls, a referee’s primary responsibility is to ensure the safety of all fighters. However, during Ronda Rousey’s Strikeforce bout against Sarah D’Alelio, Mazzagatti quickly declared the fight a submission win for Rousey despite the armbar submission being barely locked in.
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Moreover, Israel Adesanya humorously urged Dana White to bring back Steve Mazzagatti to referee his fight against Alex Pereira at UFC 281. Before the fight, Izzy said on his YouTube channel,
“Dana, bring back Steve Mazzagatti. Bring back Steve Mazzagatti to ref my fight because I want to hear ‘fight back’ as I’m punching him in the face like 50 times,”
However, referees like Herb Dean, Marc Goddard, and Mark Smith have set a new standard in the UFC with their fair decisions. The organization has advanced significantly in terms of fair play, greatly benefiting the fighters.
Also Read: ‘He Already Lost To Me’- The Only Man To Beat Jon Jones Demands UFC Rematch From Dana White
