"Should Mark Smith be PUBLICLY EXECUTED?" - Fans blast MMA referee for last-second stoppage at UFC Vegas 101 despite scorecards showing same outcome
MMA referee Mark Smith has been receiving backlash on social media for his actions in the middleweight clash between Roman Kopylov and Chris Curtis. The two athletes locked horns in a three-round bout on the main card of UFC Vegas 101. The fight card marked UFC's first event of 2025 and was held at the UFC APEX Facility in Enterprise, Nevada.
Kopylov appeared to be cruising his way to a unanimous decision victory. But in the last few seconds of the fight, the Russian landed a brutal head kick on Curtis, that caused 'The Action Man' to stumble to the ground. Referee Smith saw it and intervened, causing the fight to be stopped with just one second left in it. Curtis protested the decision but the call had already been made.
Several MMA fans watching the event were surprised by Smith's actions and took to social media to share their thoughts on it.
One individual uploaded a clip of the final sequence on X and shared some harsh words for the referee.
"RETARD: Mark Smith decided to go full RETARD MODE and stop the fight with a second left and Chris Curtis in NO DANGER AT ALL. Kopylov literally walked away. Should Mark Smith be PUBLICLY EXECUTED?"
Another person expressed disagreement with Smith's actions, labeling the final outcome an 'embarrassment'
"Sorry but you CANNOT stop a fight with 1 second left & the fighter not even finishing. That's an absolute embarrassment from the UFC and Mark Smith."
One user called the stoppage premature and advocated for Smith to be fired from his job for his actions at UFC Vegas 101.
"Early stoppage. Mark Smith is a joke. Fire him."
Check out a compilation of some of the reactions below:
