White: Mario ‘Mazagatti’ should do his job not make heart hands
Dana White: “Nobody gives a $#!@ that you can make a heart with your hands like a 12-year-old girl, they want you to pay attention.”
The UFC Fight Night 112 main event between Michael Chiesa and Kevin Lee lived up the well-hyped and unusually bitter build up. Chiesa fought great, and Lee fought greater, ending up with a sunk rear naked choke.
It looked like Chiesa was going to nap or tap, probably nap, when referee Mario Yamasaki introduced a third option: Nap, tap, or referee error. Fighters absolutely have the right to go out in defending a choke if they choose to. Yamasaki stripped Chiesa of that right, never checking if he was or was not out.
A good referee in a high-level event, and Yamasaki is ordinarily a very good referee, will speak with the fighters individually before hand. The ref will explain that sometimes when caught in a choke, it is difficult to tell if the fighter is out, and that the fighter, without compromising his or her defense, should indicate that they are still in it. Yamasaki did not give Chiese that option.
While he looked like he was going out, he was not out, and when the hold was released, he immediately protested vehemently.
UFC president Dana White was not at the event, but let his feelings be known via Instagram.
Mario Mazzagatti does it again!!! This guy is more concerned with doing this dumb ass heart bulls*** then Reffing the fight!!! Steals a great moment from Lee or let Mike fight it or tap,” wrote White. “Nobody gives a s*** that you can make a heart with your hands like a 12-year-old girl, they want you to pay attention to what’s going on in the fight and do your job.”
Reffing in mixed martial arts is impossibly difficult. The ref holds the fighter’s livelihood and health in his or her hands, and has to choose between one of the other in far less than a second, under highly adrenalized circumstances. The error does not mean that Mario Yamasaki is not a good ref – he is on fact excellent – it just means he is made a mistake, which is part of the human existence.
Immediately post-fight Chiesa asked for a rematch when the UFC hits Lee’s hometown of Detroit. Lee accepted, while noting that it would not change the outcome.