Marc Goddard is a legend in the world of MMA. The renowned referee has been a part of UFC for a long time. Throughout his career, Goddard has refereed almost all the top fighters. However, for the British-American, refereeing welterweight champion Leon Edwards is an exception.
Leon Edwards has been in numerous major fights in recent years, but fans have never seen Marc Goddard officiate them. Goddard recently spoke with the Over Dogs Podcast, where he was asked about any fighters he would never referee. Surprisingly, Goddard admitted that he was Leon Edwards’ first coach when the fighter was still an amateur.
You have never saw me refereeing Leon Edwards in the UFC, you never will. Why? Because I was Leon Edward’s first’ coach, MMA. Way back when he was an amateur…..I just don’t want any hassle and I don’t wanna be put in a predicament where I’m making a call that could go against him.
Marc Goddard via Over Dogs Podcast
Goddard also talked about how he specifically chose not to officiate the Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira rematch in Miami. According to the seasoned referee, ahead of the fight, he was thinking about Izzy and didn’t want to carry that bias inside the octagon. In their first fight at UFC 281, Goddard caught some criticism for allegedly prematurely stopping the fight.
Turning back to Edward, his next fight will be the main event of UFC 304 in Manchester against Belal Muhammad. Going into the fight, the Brit is confident, and as expected fans won’t see Marc Goddard refereeing the fight. On the same note, it won’t be surprising to see him not participate in the event at all. Given everything that happened in his last London event.
Marc Goddard responds to backlash over his UFC London refereeing
Last year at UFC London, Tom Aspinall fought Marcin Tybura in the heavyweight main event bout. A little more than a minute into the opening round, Aspinall finished Tybura via TKO. A few fans claimed that Goddard had stopped play too soon and Tybura was defending the shots.
Marc Goddard responds to criticism over UFC London (via X)
Goddard born in Glasgow, Scotland was criticized for his refereeing and his nationality was brought into question. Responding to this, Goddard took to X and mentioned that the accusations were simply baseless and he is not even English.
I’m sorry my friend but that is a silly/unrealistic notion. Fellow country officials officiate world level sports week in week out all over the globe. Competency is key, not nationality. Oh and by the way I am not English.
Marc Goddard via X
I’m sorry my friend but that is a silly/unrealistic notion. Fellow country officials officiate world level sports week in week out all over the globe. Competency is key, not nationality. Oh and by the way I am not English. 🙂 https://t.co/akM8Rbfkef
— Marc Goddard (@marcgoddard_uk) July 23, 2023
Being a referee is one of the most important as well as tough jobs in the world of combat sports. They not only assure the safety of fighters but can easily get flak for their decisions. Nevertheless, Goddard has always taken criticism head-on and will probably like to do the same in the future.
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