Was referee Marc Goddard trying to help Dricus Du Plessis beat Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319? Middleweight legend Robert Whittaker seems to think so.
We are just a couple of days removed from what was an absolutely dominant performance by the Chechen in his first UFC title fight. Did he get the finish at UFC 319? No,. But he made pound-for-pound star Du Plessis look like an Octagon newcomer for much of their bout on Saturday night.
For almost all of the 25 minutes they fought, Chimaev had his opponent on the ground in an advantageous position. Yet, despite controlling almost all of the bout, there were times when veteran referee Marc Goddard surprisingly decided to end the grappling. And bring them back to their feet and the center of the Octagon.
While fans inside the United Center were in favor of the decision, the referee has received a lot of pushback from fans and fighters for his in-fight choices. You can add former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker to that group. And he believes the veteran UFC ref was purposely trying to give the South African a chance in what was a completely one-sided fight.
Khamzat Chimaev record: 15-0 (6 knockouts, 6 submissions)
“Terrible stand up [by Goddard]. He just wanted to give Dricus a chance to throw bombs. Man, you can’t do that,” Whittaker said with a laugh. “At this point, he’s controlled 22 minutes of ground time. And you stand him up when he’s at his most tired. You can’t do that. Not just once, dude, twice. He even broke them up when he was on the cage. Chimaev’s best position. That was terrible, in my opinion.”
The Australians’ comments are interesting. He has lost to both Dricus and Chimaev. With the latter breaking his jaw in their October 2024 clash. The former champion is one of the great strikers in division history, so many would figure he would favor DDP. However, in the end, he respects the dominance of the new middleweight king. And isn’t against pointing out some questionable referee work that hurt him on fight night.
