Sherdog’s Top 10: Officiating Blunders

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1. Marco Lopez Fails to Stop David Terrell vs. Scott Smith

Fighters are always instructed to obey the referee’s commands. That’s what every fighter at every level of experience is taught and right before a match. The ref usually says something along the lines of, “Obey my commands at all times.” In his UFC 59 match with David Terrell, Scott Smith did just that. The problem was that Terrell did not.

After a scrum on the canvas, the two men were clinched and jockeying for position along the cage. Referee Marco Lopez yelled for the fighters to break and began rushing in to stop them. Smith dropped his hands to break, but Terrell didn’t listen and took Smith’s back. Lopez allowed Terrell to continue fighting, and a few moments later, Smith was tapping to the jiu-jitsu black belt’s rear-naked choke.

Smith rushed to his feet after he tapped and began yelling at Lopez, who said nothing back. After the fight, Terrell admitted to Joe Rogan that Lopez yelled to break, but after Terrell continued fighting, he said, “Go ahead with your action.” Terrell explained to Rogan that he wasn’t going to stop fighting, and that’s just what he did.

Smith took nothing away from Terrell and was trying not to make excuses, but he did tell Rogan that he obeyed the referee’s commands. Smith paid the price for doing the right thing, and that is why this is the No. 1 officiating blunder in MMA history.