Israel Adesanya spots controversial referee Steve Mazzagatti at UFC 282 cageside

Israel Adesanya spotted a familiar face while watching UFC 282 this past Saturday.

Adesanya uploaded a video to his YouTube channel, which covered highlights of his reactions throughout the event. While watching Paddy Pimblett vs. Jared Gordon in the co-main event, he spotted controversial MMA referee Steve Mazzagatti cageside. He joked about him being there, saying:

"Hey, Yamasaki was it... no what's his name? The guy I talked about, Steve Mazzagatti... I said bring him back, they brought him back. They brought him back."

Like many others, 'Izzy' was surprised to see the former UFC referee sitting cageside. The controversial MMA referee has been heavily criticized in the past by fighters as well as UFC president Dana White, who has repeatedly referred to him as a bad referee. During the UFC Vegas 10 post-fight press conference, White even referenced Mazzagatti when a referee made a mistake:

"Nobody has ever fu***d up more than [Steve] Mazzagatti and that was a Mazzagatti moment right there for that guy."

Dana White on the referee during Mike Rodriguez vs Ed Herman: “Nobody has ever f*cked up more than Mazzagatti and that was a Mazzagatti moment right there” #UFCVegas10 https://t.co/mPTKnlsWmN

Based on how White feels about Mazzagatti's ability as a referee, it makes sense why he hasn't officiated at a UFC event in quite some time. This made Adesanya's reaction a lot funnier.

Check out the full video:

Israel Adesanya reacts to Darren Till's loss at UFC 282

💰#UFC282 BONUSES💰

FOTN: Till vs. Du Plessis

POTN: Everyone who got a finish

#UFC282 #UFC #MMA https://t.co/1G3PEFtKGo

Israel Adesanya shared some of his reactions to the bouts that took place at UFC 282 on his YouTube channel. One of the fights that had most of his reactions was Dricus Du Plessis vs. Darren Till.

While watching Du Plessis vs. Till, the former UFC middleweight champion felt that the Englishman could have been more successful if he had made adjustments:

"Nah, he [Darren Till] did the same thing and the guy [Dricus Du Plessis] blitzed and he went to elbow and then he just knew because the guy already ate the elbow how many times. He just shot in the middle. Look at the elbow, the guy knows okay... don't do the same fu****g thing over and over again."

With his submission win, Du Plessis extended his winning streak to six. Meanwhile, Till's skid extended to three straight losses, which could jeopardize his status in the UFC middleweight division.