Top bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili confesses to being apprehensive of UFC referee Marc Goddard. "The Machine" is fearful of Goddard reffing one of his fights because he believes Goddard stops fights too early.
Dvalishvili clarified that the stoppage made by Goddard at UFC 292 between Sean O'Malley and Aljamain Sterling has caused him to distrust his decision-making:
"Before my fight I always tell the referee 'if I get caught please don't stop me,'" Dvalishvili explained on October 4's 'The MMA Hour'. "Somehow I [forgot that] with [O'Malley vs. sterling] to tell the referee, especially Marc Goddard - usually he likes to stop early."
Whilst the Sterling stoppage is widely contested, "Funk Master" was dropped with a hard shot and absorbed 19 unanswered strikes before Goddard intervened. Most of the debate surrounds Sterling rolling to his knees as Goddard stepped in, but it can't be said that he wasn't going to take more punishment from "Sugar".
Dvalishvili explained that he's uncomfortable with Goddard's reffing, and how it goes against his principle of fighting:
"...Every time I see [Goddard]... I'm only scared of God, and every time I see [Goddard] --- I panic, you know? I saw some other fights, and every time something happens he jumps around, he wants to jump in and stop [the fight]...I respect the job but we are fighters. ...Me, I'm ready to die [in the octagon], that's [my mentality]."
Dvalishvili has been averse to referee stoppages since his first and only defeat in the UFC to Ricky Simón --- a stoppage Dvalishvili disputes to this day.
Dvalishvili was caught in a deep mounted guillotine late into round three. The final bell rang, Simon dismounted and Dvalishvili's head bounced off the canvas. The Georgian fighter convulsed and twitched for a few seconds before returning to consciousness and reassuring the referee that he was fine. He made an attempt to stand but ended up on his back with medical officials surrounding him.
Because Dvalishvili didn't answer the final bell and appeared to be unconscious, the fight was ruled as a loss by technical submission. It remains the only blemish on his record and clearly had a negative impact on his opinion of the referees.
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