'Playing with my life' - Crosbie calls out referee

Ireland's Kiefer Crosbie has called out referee Marc Goddard after his UFC fight in China ended moments after an illegal knee by his opponent.

Chinese prospect Taiyilake Nueraji stopped Crosbie in the first round, but was deducted two points when he struck the Irishman with a knee while he was seated.

Goddard stopped the fight and after a short period of recovery asked Crosbie, who was given permission to carry on by the fight doctor, if he was OK to continue.

Crosbie, 35, said it was a "ridiculous call" and questioned why he was not given five minutes to recover.

"How come I didn't get five minutes, Marc Goddard? Forty five seconds I got and couldn't even see straight or remember what happened," he said on Instagram., external

"Obviously I was going to continue because that's what fighters do but to rush me back in while still concussed and confused is ridiculous - playing with my life."

Goddard could have chosen to disqualify Nueraji, but instead deducted points for an illegal blow, something that has only happened three times before in the UFC.

UFC rules state that in the event of an illegal blow, external a doctor has up to five minutes to decide if a fighter can continue, and once they have given the OK to carry on, a referee can restart the fight "as soon as is practical".

In that situation fighters do not receive up to five minutes to recover, as they do under the rule governing low blows, with the contest restarting when the referee decides the fighter is OK to resume.

Crosbie was given just under a minute to recover before getting back to his feet.

The Irishman was assessed by the doctor in the octagon, who told Goddard he was OK to continue.

Goddard then asked Crosbie if he wanted to continue the fight and the Irishman nodded his head in reply.

Initially the commentary team, including former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping, believed the fight would be stopped and Nueraji would be disqualified, but praised Goddard's actions when he decided it could continue.

"Perfectly handled by Marc Goddard because Kiefer Crosbie had all the right in the world to say 'no I can't continue' and he would have got a DQ win if he had said that," former fighter Laura Sanko said on commentary.

"Very expertly handed," Bisping added.

The loss leaves Crosbie's UFC career in the balance with three defeats in a row.

Crosbie was an underdog going into the contest, with his last win in MMA coming in 2023 outside of the UFC.

Speaking in the comments of his Instagram post, Crosbie said he thought Goddard was an excellent referee.

"After the fight I asked backstage how come a doctor didn't come in and assess me, then they told me he did. I don't remember any of it," he said.

"And don't get me wrong, I've said for years Marc is one of the best referees in the game, if not the best.

"But that was a horrendous decision. I'm concussed and on wobbly legs, can barely see straight with blood in my eyes, and I'm rushed back into a fight after being partially KO'd by an illegal knee."