UFC 307, The Morning After: Fight card derailed by worst referee ever

It's always a little silly when a dozen UFC fights fail and the management is the biggest source of discussion a day later. Usually that means the fights weren't very good. Unfortunately, that's definitely the case here, as good placements were clearly outperformed by boring rounds. Apart from the quality of the cards, this time it is necessary to talk about the office, because it was just like that.

From top to bottom, the referees Utah brought to the table repeatedly failed the UFC 307 athletes. It was a historically bad judging night full of random 30-27 scores that simply can't be explained. There was no consistency, no preference for wrestling or striking – the cards were completely random. When the main card came out, the remaining fighters were certainly sweating because there was no longer any way to rely on the scorecards.

Even the miserable scoring was overshadowed by the performance of referee Dave Sejestad. Really, I've never seen a referee less in control of what's happening in a cage than in the fight between Cesar Almeida and Ihor Potieria. It's a well-known MMA custom that fighters are allowed one foul, but what about six freebies?

It's hard to decide whether Sejestad had a personal agenda against Potieria or whether he was just grappling with retinas as a concept. Either way, it's confusing to miss three consecutive eye contacts in a short sequence. When the fourth thrust came a moment later, Sejestad didn't even bother to stop the action. Just a week ago, Benoit Saint Denis was not allowed into the third round because his eyesight was impaired. Last night, the eyes of Potieria were brutally attacked, without any reciprocation or reaction!

The incompetence didn’t stop there either. Referee Sejestad didn't penalize a clear low blow from Almeida, but he had serious problems with Potieria trying to use the clinch in a mixed martial arts fight. Seriously, Potieria was fighting a top kickboxer and knockout artist, and his attempts at victory were met with INSTANT breakups! His chances of winning this duel were never great, but you can't make the chances against him any higher.

Last night was also significant in that it was Jon Anik's 100th consecutive pay-per-view (PPV), and I don't think I've ever seen him so directly harassed by an official. His outrage was well reflected by the online reaction, and the news that Sejestad would not be making his second appearance at UFC 307 was greeted with gratitude and relief.

For complete UFC 307 results and play-by-play click here HERE!