Why is Marc Goddard being criticized for UFC London officiating? Referee hits back at fan who suggested nationality bias

Marc Goddard is drawing some criticism for last weekend's UFC London card due to multiple reasons. A native of Glasgow, Scotland, Goddard was the third man inside the ring for the main-event clash between Tom Aspinall and Marcin Tybura.

Aspinall finished Tybura with defiance a little over a minute into the opening frame. A few fans accused Goddard of an early stoppage although Tybura was clearly covering up after taking some huge defenseless shots from Aspinall. Fans wrote:

"Early stoppage in the main-event"

One fan compared the situation to another fight officiated by Marc Goddard. Goddard didn't stop the fight when Nathaniel Wood knocked Andre Fili down in the opening round and the bout eventually went to a decision. @RooFaElmisrate wrote:

"Andre fili was in the same position in the first round with his hands up and legs and the referee was the same too soo 🤷🏻‍♂️idk bruh"

Apart from these, Goddard was generally criticized for being on a UFC London card despite hailing from Scotland. Fans drew comparisons with other sports where officials are from a neutral country to remove any chances of bias. The referee who was recently lauded for his work at Cage Warriors, wrote in reply to the criticism:

"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. 🙂"

Additionally, Marc Goddard was criticized for overlooking an allegedly intentional head butt and eye poke by Makhmud Muradov during his clash against Bryan Barberena.

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How Marc Goddard once saved Nathaniel Wood's life

Marc Goddard not stopping the fight in favor of fellow Brit, Nathaniel Wood, at UFC London certainly eliminates the question of any bias. Similarly, Goddard once let a fight go on, which changed Wood's life forever.

'The Prospect' was on wobbly legs and taking a ton of punishment from Josh Reed at Cage Warriors 86 in 2017. While Goddard kept asking him to fight back, he didn't intervene at moments when it could have been stopped. And Wood did fight back, turning the tables to pick up a first-round finish.

According to Wood, that come-from-behind victory changed his life forever as he would find himself in the UFC after just one more Cage Warriors outing. 'The Prospect' said during a previous appearance on MMA on Point's FightFront channel:

'I"m glad he [Marc Goddard] didn't stop it, because I then won my fight, which led me to be signed by the UFC and completely changed my life. If he had stepped in, I would still be earning zero money, I wouldn't have been able to move out, I wouldn't be able to buy nice things, I wouldn't be able to be getting married next year; I wouldn't be able to afford anything. My whole life would have been completed changed if he had stepped in. So I thank God he didn't."

Catch the clip below: