The fans in attendance at UFC 92 weren't willing to give veteran referee Steve Mazzagatti a chance on Saturday. Every time he officiated a fight, his presence was met with loud boos throughout the crowd. This is the first instance i can remember a ref being booed before doing anything. Mazzagatti has drawn the ire of UFC President Dana White as well. It is thought that his stoppages of the Kongo/Al-Turk fight and the Evans/Griffin fight were both dangerously late, with the losing fighters taking excessive punishment. White recently said that Mazzagatti "isn't a referee." Mazzagatti is one of the most respected referees in the sport but has recently botched several high-profile fights including the Brock Lesnar/Frank Mir fiasco and the Kevin Burns/Anthony Johnson I debacle. He might be joining Dan Mirgliotta as one of the most reviled referees at the moment.
meh, I don't think he let them go THAT long. People are always bitching about Herb Dean and how he stops fights too soon. Ppl are fickle IMO and being asshats.
I agree, people are always angry about fights being stopped too early or too late, Mazzagatti does a pretty good job reffing and is no where near Mirgliotta's level.
I like Steve. If Dean was reffing, people would be bitching about Forrest not having a chance to collect himself. I think Steve should have reffed the Nog fight. :]
