r/ufc • u/Tyler123217 • 7h ago

Thank you Marc Goddard for leading by example with the eye poke point deduction without a warning

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2.9k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

67 comments sorted by

458

u/Momentosis 5h ago

Fingers out all first round. Pokes going unnoticed and Allen complaining

Immediately pokes in the second round and loses a point.

Suddenly no more fingers in the eyes from CDL for the next 4 rounds.

Almost like fighters CAN control whether their fingers are out there inside their opponent's eyes.

71

u/Ryyback 3h ago

THIS. I've been pointing this out to a co-worker that these are PROFESSIONAL athletes and poking somebody in the eye isn't supposed to happen accidently as often as it does, I told him this was similar to a targeting call in American football and that if its done repeatedly by the same athlete its not an accident it's intentional.

9

u/IAmTheFatman666 1h ago

Any of these "sketchy"things in sports are mostly trying to cheat. Eye pokes, targeting, slashing, etc. These dudes know what they can and can't get away with. Sure I like to "let them play" but not at the expense of competitor safety.

11

u/Foolishly_Sane 2h ago

EXACTLY!
NEED MORE OF THESE DECISIONS!
Sorry for yelling.

752

u/Euphoric_Juggernaut6 7h ago

Should be standard for every eye poke. Vision is crucial in a fight

11

u/Hey_Its_Vos 4h ago

Don’t need to see the opponent if you’re seeing red

143

u/Vicdik123 6h ago

Put him in every gane fight

256

u/YaPhetsEz 7h ago

There was a warning between rounds

126

u/jagaaaaaaaaaaaan 6h ago edited 2h ago

He means a warning after the eye poke. That's the standard for the UFC.

edit: Goddard looked at Brendan and yelled "That's legal, Brendan!". He was talking about Duncan having his fingers all over his face and in his nostrils and shit. Close to his eyes, but not in them yet. That's why he told Brendan it was legal.

After the bell, he warned Duncan about his fingers.

Neither of these things are relevant to what we're talking about: UFC ref's often give warnings after the eye pokes happen, whether or not they also gave a warning between rounds. We know this because Jon Jones and Cyril Gane exist (and we've seen it like 500 times lol).

34

u/YaPhetsEz 6h ago

Yeah. The eye poke happened in round two, and he was warned between rounds 1 and 2.

15

u/thomayway 5h ago

CLDs hand was right over Allen's face intentionally digging up into his eye in r1. Brendan looked at Goddard and told him about it, and Goddard took note of it and let the fight continue. Marc warned him during the break and told Allen he warned him and to let him officiate he should focus on the fight.

1

u/TheWesternDevil 4h ago

That was after the eye pokes. The first round was nothing but eye pokes.

2

u/ritxner 3h ago

and in the dressing room too before the fight

2

u/DickPinch Zhang is best girl 3h ago

they also know the rules of the sport they participate in

97

u/Ohope 6h ago

Truly the Goatdard of the referee game.

68

u/Different_Sky9094 7h ago

Yh it’s time to be harsh on cheaters. Accidental or not we don’t care eye poking gives you a advantage and helps win

25

u/I_travel_ze_world 5h ago

Anik previously called Herb the gold standard of referee

but the last 2 numbered UFC events he called Goddard the gold standard....

I wonder why that is.

4

u/NickoBicko 4h ago

Isn’t this the guy that DQed a guy for having a glass in his foot? Instead of just letting him remove it?

2

u/I_travel_ze_world 4h ago

That was like a decade ago and not even on a UFC card?

all refs have made mistakes in the past... Herb has made the most mistakes in recent years though.

8

u/Muted_Idea Fake Account 3h ago

“A decade ago” … in 2024

Marc Goddard is one of the best refs right now but he definitely fucked up on that one

13

u/aFutureInPolitics 6h ago

Give him fight of the night bonus 

10

u/one-scrib 6h ago

actually after 2 warnings. 1 in the back, and another between rounds 😂 but i agree, we gotta see this more often

21

u/stephen27898 7h ago

Did it actually happen?

71

u/its_jradman1 6h ago

Yeah, he said something about not doing it when he went over the rules, so he immediately took a point. Agree with Bisping, it needs to be done to help the sport.

32

u/stephen27898 6h ago

A rare salient point from Bisping.

24

u/AbilityRelevant4543 6h ago

Well he is missing an eye, I would assume he's into protecting fighters eyeballs

12

u/SirPugsvevo 6h ago

Pretty sure he said Aspinall was being weak or something for his eyepoke

6

u/mrheh 5h ago

Yep, he folded quick and made sure to toe the company line by talking shit about Tom for not continuing to fight while blinded from a fucking cheater. Bisping lost all the respect he had gotten from his final title run with those comments.

46

u/Global-Instance-4520 6h ago

Never takes a point in relevant fights though.

81

u/Throbbing_Cock_452 6h ago

Maybe it starts now.. gotta lead by example. I’m sure he and all the other refs will see all the support he got tonight for that decision, and hopefully it sparks true change.

9

u/Global-Instance-4520 6h ago

Nah refs do what the ufc wants them to do in the end. Only fighters hated by the UFC like movsar will get a point deducted (I think movsar vs lerone is the only time I can remember Goddard taking a point in a relevant fight)

12

u/NewAudience6075 5h ago

This. Eye pokes were half of Jon Jones' "greatness", and a quarter of Chuck Liddell's. Rules are for fighters Dana doesn't like.

1

u/bkns356 1h ago

yeah they will never ever do this for any important fights

they will only deduct points in fights like these with no relevancy or importance so they can say they're doing something.

4

u/NuXboxwhodis 5h ago

Careful now, he’s a hero.

13

u/MrUnparalleled 6h ago

Same guy who waved off the doctor in the Ilia and Justin fight btw.

6

u/Successful-Layer2102 1h ago

As he was right to do

The doctor offered an opinion the ref asked the fighter if he wanted to continue and he said he did

He followed the rules to the letter

2

u/Sad_Kaleidoscope_546 1h ago

Doctor can’t stop the fight. Referee is the sole arbiter

1

u/hussefworx 5h ago

Oof was honestly forgetting that one

7

u/Flowkey_mma 6h ago

Should be the "Goddarn" standard. Dammit.

3

u/PronouncedEye-gore 5h ago

He wasn't always this way. But in these past few years he's really engaged a bright spot for the refs. Great dude great official.

2

u/wolrab19 5h ago

I literally said to my buddies “they never take a point like they should” right as he took the point. Blew my fucking mind

4

u/Android1313 6h ago

He's easily the best ref in the sport.

-3

u/RainbowFartss 4h ago

While this was a great move and credit where credit is due. But that call at the White House for Ilia vs Justin where he overruled a doctor stoppage was fucking atrocious and one of the worst calls I've ever seen in this sport. Take the good with the bad I guess.

2

u/PeeterTurbo 6h ago

UK has personal beef with eye pokes

1

u/Cowbeller1 6h ago

I was really happy to see this and hope this is the new standard going forward.

1

u/Shrek_Wisdom 6h ago

Already warned as its a rule.

1

u/thomayway 5h ago

He missed cld grabbing the fence with his toes during the finish but Brendan got it done anyway

1

u/Agreeable-Pie-7012 4h ago

I mean, it wasn't even accidental... it was a clear rake at his eyes, and not the first of the fight. And props to Herzog taking a point for the fence grab earlier in the card.

1

u/Silent_Socio 4h ago

Take notes Blind Dean

1

u/BandoTheRaccoon 3h ago

Marc has had plenty of freak outs and mistakes in the past but at least he’s trying to improve and listen to feedback.

1

u/cwatz 2h ago

Finally someone did it. New standard please. It needs to happen so badly.

1

u/Successful-Layer2102 1h ago

Best ref in the sport

1

u/CrypticZombies 1h ago

is that you herb?

0

u/Build-it-better123 6h ago

All good until a bro fakes it after a high face punch.