Mixed martial arts (MMA) referees have one of the most unforgiving jobs in sports. They’re asked to make split-second decisions that can permanently alter a fighter’s health and career. When they get it right, they’re rarely praised. When they get it wrong, they’re crucified — and sometimes, fighters push back by asking not to be assigned to their bouts again.
That appears to be the case for top Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight contender Maycee Barber, who has made it clear she no longer
wants veteran referee Mark Smith officiating her fights.
Barber’s frustration stems from UFC 323, when she was hit with an illegal upkick from Karine Silva — a foul that Smith thought was a glancing blow and never really believed it impacted Barber.
“I was told several times this is a great ref, and from my perspective now, I’m like, I don’t want him reffing my fights at all,” Barber told MMA Fighting. “I don’t feel safe in there with him anymore. I don’t feel like he’s a very fair ref.”
While Barber acknowledged that officials are human and capable of mistakes, she emphasized the uneven consequences between referees and fighters.
“People have bad days, so I try not to be too harsh, but at the same time, that’s my job. My job is on the line,” Barber said. “He can have a bad day at work and still get paid regardless. We’re the ones risking our careers.”
Barber is far from the first to voice concerns about Smith’s officiating. Just last year, Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick criticized Smith after the referee stopped Chris Curtis’ fight with just one second remaining, saying it felt like competing against two opponents. Nicksick also noted that Smith had warned Curtis pre-fight about Roman Kopylov’s tendency to foul — something that still occurred during the bout.
Smith has also developed a reputation for early stoppages from Brandon Moreno vs. Tatsuro Taira to Gabriel Bonfim vs. Randy Brown to Waldo Cortes Acosta vs. Ante Delija to Brad Tavares vs. Bruno Silva.
He is also criticized for inconsistent foul enforcement, which occurred in fights like Sean Sharaf vs. Justin Tafa (fence grab), Curtis vs. Kopylov (low blow, eye poke), Uriah Hall vs. Paulo Costa (eye pokes), and Steve Garcia vs. Kyle Nelson (back of the head shots).
Whether Smith will be assigned to officiate one of Barber’s fights again remains to be seen. For now, “The Future” has made her stance clear.
