When a big UFC main event is about to begin, you’re guaranteed to see one of just a few of the recognizable top officials in the sport standing between the fighters.
Marc Goddard has been one of the staple referees working in the sport for some time now and is a former ‘Referee of the Year’ winner at the Annual MMA Awards.
Despite being such a prominent fixture of the biggest events of the year, there are some occasions where the Brit has decided to remove himself from the equation for various reasons.
Having been in and around the sport for such a long time, it’s only natural that you’re going to build connections with certain fighters or teams that may effect your ability to remain impartial.
Marc Goddard Says You Never Have & Never Will See Him Referee A Leon Edwards Fight
During a recent and rare podcast appearance, Goddard spoke about one of his only exceptions to officiating a fight on the Overdogs Podcast.
He noted that fans will never see him be the third man in the cage when a current UFC champion is in action because of his ties to that fighter.
With that in mind, you can expect to see a name like Herb Dean or Jason Herzog in the Octagon for the upcoming main event of UFC 304…
“Leon Edwards, you’ve never saw me referee Leon Edwards in the UFC and you never will. Why? Because I was Leon Edwards’ first coach in MMA way back when, when he was just an amateur. But again, the common sense element for me…you never saw me referee him and you never will because we’ll just keep it out the way.
“I just don’t want any hassle and I don’t want to be put in a predicament where I’m making a call that could go against him, so it’s both ways.”
Goddard also revealed that there are other scenarios that can lead to him turning down a particular assignment.
He gave the example of how he withdrew from being the official for Israel Adesanya’s rematch with Alex Pereira last April in Miami.
Goddard gave the reason that after Adesanya wasn’t satisfied with the stoppage of his first encounter with Pereira five months prior, the official didn’t want this to have any impact on the challenger in the second fight.
