Brian Stutts: Know the referee from Jake Paul vs Ben Askren fight

Referee Brian Stutts has found himself at the center of controversy after calling a round one stoppage for the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren Triller Fight Club boxing match last Saturday.

Who paid the ref? #PaulAskren

— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) April 18, 2021

Before gaining infamy as a referee for the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren exhibition, Brian Stutts had been a respected veteran boxing judge. Throughout his 30-year career as a referee, Brian Stutts has overseen more than 400 pro-boxing fights.

Here’s the referee and judging assignments for tonight’s #TrillerFightClub event.Brian Stutts will be the third man in the ring for Ben Askren vs. Jake Paul, with Ed Kanner, Nola Oliver and Richard Sells serving as judges. pic.twitter.com/pMkCbDqVJo

— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) April 17, 2021

Stutts is a long-time resident of the state of Georgia. In fact, most of the fights he officiated took place in the Peach State. When the Triller Fight Club's much-anticipated event came to Atlanta, he was the obvious choice as the referee for a clash between YouTube star Paul and ex-UFC fighter Askren.

In addition to the main event, Brian Stutts also officiated the middleweight bout between Jeyson Minda and Junior Younan on the undercard of the Triller Fight Club event.

In round five, Younan landed a couple of low blows which forced Brian Stutts to deduct a point from Younan in the round. In the end, it didn't matter as Younan earned a unanimous decision win.

Did Brian Stutts make the right call?

Triller Fight Club: Jake Paul v Ben Askren

Renowned combat sports official Marc Goddard rushed to Brian Stutts's defense after the bout. According to Goddard, the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren fight was not rigged and Stutts absolutely made the right call.

The referee made the right call for Ben Askren. No work. No conspiracy. No one was “in on it”. Just a referee preventing a forgone conclusion. We don’t always need to see a kill shot.

— Marc Goddard (@marcgoddard_uk) April 18, 2021

Referee Brian Stutts stopped the fight after Askren was knocked down by a big right hand from Jake Paul. Askren got up and insisted that he was ready to go. However, Brian Stutts thought otherwise, telling Askren that he was too wobbly to be allowed to continue.

Ben Askren probably could have soldiered through, but that doesn't mean it was going to get any better for him. The former Bellator MMA and ONE Championship welterweight champ was standing but he still looked shaken up by the huge blow he took.

On the flipside, Jake Paul – with a mean streak in his eyes – was ready to pounce on Askren and land another kill shot. At the end of the day, referee Brian Stutts just protected Askren from absorbing more damage.