Referee Steve Mazzagatti takes a stance against Dana White’s criticism – UFC News
UFC President Dana White has criticised UFC judges and referees far and wide, calling them incapable of making the event more thrilling. Among all, referee Steve Mazzagatti is usually White’s target.
“Mazzagatti still works – nuff said. The fact that a commission would actually let this guy referee fights still is just beyond my comprehension,” said White last week.
White is already disappointed over UFC 149, which was a major failure. Probably, he found a way of taking out his frustration by blaming the officials.
This time, Mazzagatti did not keep his vow of silence, instead he lashed out on White while defending his actions.
“[White] has criticized us and we get a lot of criticism for not standing them up – at least I do,” said Mazzagatti in a recent interview.
He added, “They say we let fighters lay on the ground too long and we’re not doing anything. We don’t make the rules. We enforce them. It’s not our job to make sure the fight goes the way the promoter wants it to go. It’s the fighter’s job. It’s their show.”
“They’ve got to be the entertainer. I don’t make the fight what everyone expects it to be. All we do is enforce the rules – period -- and make sure it’s a clean and fair fight.”
According to Mazzagatti, no rules bound fighters not to work on the ground. He added that most fighters want to lie on the mat and play their game, which is fine with him until they are not breaching any regulations.
He further said that he is not the one who makes rules. According to Steve, if White or any other official wants fighters not to lie on the mat for more than 15 seconds then he should come up with it. Being a referee, Mazzagatti believe it is his job to
follow rules and not to make them.
Mazzagatti was humble in admitting the fact that he is not perfect and that even he has made mistakes in his career, such as the bad call against Anthony Johnson in 2008.
For now, Mazzagatti is furious over White’s criticism, believing it to be baseless.
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