White not impressed with Yamasaki refereeing on Saturday
Dana White: “I am hoping after this scary, incompetent showing he hopefully will never set foot in that Octagon again.”
Valentina Shevchenko’s face was a bloody mess Saturday night, and she didn’t have a scratch. That’s how bad opponent Priscilla Cachoeira got beat in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 125.
UFC president Dana White posts his feelings about officials every bit as bitterly as the average fan after a couple of beers. Steve Mazagatti was the first to notably draw White’s ire, and eventually retired. Now Mario Yamasaki is it.
White made it official in June at UFC Fight Night 112, after Yamasaki called a technical submission against Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Lee, when the former was stuck in a rear naked coke.
Mario Mazzagatti does it again!!! wrote White on Instagram immediately afterward. This guy is more concerned with doing this dumb ass heart bulls*** than Reffing the fight!”
At UFC Belem Yamasaki again drew White’s ire again, for letting the co-main go on too long.
“Priscilla Cachoeira, you showed so much heart and toughness in that fight,” began White on Instagram. “I’m honored to have you fight in the UFC. Unfortunately the ref is there to protect you and Mario DID NOT do that. This isn’t his first disgusting performance in the Octagon. Another unfortunate thing is that I can’t do anything about I️t only the Brazilian commission can and I am hoping after this scary, incompetent showing he hopefully will never set foot in that Octagon again. Strikes landed was 230-3.”
White remarks were echoed at the post-fight press conference by UFC Senior Vice President David Shaw, albeit in less blunt terms.
We’ll be working with the commission to make sure a situation like that doesn’t happen again, said Shaw, as transcribed by Steven Marrocco for MMAjunkie. First and foremost, Priscila’s health is the No. 1 priority. We’ve got a team with her at the hospital, and we’ll be taking very good care of her to make sure she recovers quickly.
As White noted, according to Fight Metric, Shevchenko landed 230 punches of the 254 she threw, while Cachoeira landed 3 of the 13 she attempted. For significant strikes, it was 95 of 113 vs. 2 of 12. However, this was not a complete shock, the odds were as high as (-1000) on Shevchenko.
The UFC matched #1 women’s bantamweight Shevchenko with then 8-0 Cachoeira, who was making her league debut. It was a truly odd booking in that Cachoeira squeaked out a majority decision over 6-10-1 Marta Souza last year, while Shevchenko was coming off a split decision loss for the UFC title one weight division up.
There is room in this fight for White to criticise Yamasaki as scary and incompetent, and room for White to criticize his own organization as scary and incompetent here, too.
