Top Fighter Rips “Lowest Graded Referee” for Controversial UFC Fight Night Stoppage

One of the UFC’s top flyweight contenders was quick to weigh-in after an action-packed bout at the first UFC card of the year ended in a controversial last-second stoppage.

Charles Johnson Lights Up Referee Mark Smith After Last-Second Stoppage

The UFC closed out its 2024 calendar when Joaquin Buckley bested former interim welterweight titleholder Colby Covington in the main event of UFC Tampa on December 14, and last Saturday the promotion made its long-awaited return with UFC Fight Night: Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas 2.

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The action-packed event featured bonus-winning finishes from Mackenzie Dern and César Almeida in addition to a number of other impressive results, and Fight of the Night honors went to Roman Kopylov and Chris Curtis after the pair engaged in a back-and-forth war that Kopylov won via last-second TKO.

The stoppage in Kopylov vs. Curtis was met with a fair amount of criticism considering “The Action Man” never fully hit the canvas as time was winding down, and #12-ranked flyweight contender Charles Johnson didn’t hold back with his estimation of how veteran referee Mark Smith handled things.

Mark smith has got to be the lowest graded ref on roster

Constantly interjects himself and only thing consistent with calls is his inconsistency
— Charles "InnerG" Johnson (@innerGmma_ufc) January 12, 2025

"InnerG" Cites Previous Fight With Smith As Referee

A former LFA champion that joined the UFC in 2022, Johnson is currently on a four-fight win streak and is set to meet Ramazon Temirov in the latter fighter’s second UFC appearance at a UFC Fight Night event on March 1.

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The 34-year-old’s most recent victory was a unanimous decision against Sumudaerji that could have been stopped in the second round when “InnerG” absolutely battered his opponent with strikes, and following Johnson’s comments about Kopylov vs. Curtis several fans were quick to mention that Smith was also the referee during that fight.

Like I said , su mudaerji was face to floor hands over head 4-5 seconds and he didn’t stop it, but he stops that lol 😆
— Charles "InnerG" Johnson (@innerGmma_ufc) January 12, 2025

Curtis and his coach Eric Nicksick vehemently protested the stoppage in the immediate aftermath of the fight, and while “The Action Man” did pocket an extra $50K for participating in the Fight of the Night at UFC Vegas 101 he now finds himself on a two-fight skid and has only gotten his hand raised once in his last five bouts.

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