"Let us die in there" - Referee Marc Goddard faces verbal onslaught from UFC fighters for alleged early stoppage in Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka

Referee Marc Goddard was at the receiving end of a verbal onslaught from MMA fans and fighters who believe that the UFC 295 main event fight between Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka was prematurely stopped.

In a remarkable span of precisely 735 days from his UFC debut, Alex Pereira has accomplished the extraordinary feat of becoming a two-weight champion in the UFC (not simultaneous). Pereira secured a second-round TKO victory over Jiri Prochazka in the main event of UFC 295 and claimed the vacant light heavyweight championship.

His journey to two-division triumph began with a middleweight championship victory over arch-rival Israel Adesanya at UFC 281, only to relinquish it to 'The Last Stylebender' in their MMA rematch at UFC 287.

Even before the bout commenced, the tension in the arena was palpable as Prochazka and Pereira engaged in a fiery staredown. As the fight progressed, Prochazka's unorthodox strikes met Pereira's composed defense. A series of brutal calf kicks from Pereira left Prochazka struggling, but the Polish MMA star managed to secure a takedown and generated some offense from the position.

In the second round, Prochazka strategically countered Pereira's advances. However, a devastating right straight and left hook combination from Pereira dropped Prochazka.

The fight was controversially stopped by Marc Goddard, and Alex Pereira was crowned the new light heavyweight champion. Prochazka later confirmed that he was indeed hurt at the moment and chose not to contest the stoppage.

However, passionate fight enthusiasts have taken to the internet to criticize Marc Goddard, vehemently arguing that the stoppage was premature. Their stance revolves around the belief that championship fights warrant that the referee should take into account the significance of the event.

UFC bantamweight contender protested the stoppage and took to X to launch a strong message, writing:

"Bullsh*t! Early stoppage!!! Marc Goddard does it again!!! We are fighters, let us fight!!! #UFC295"

Former UFC two-division champion Henry Cejudo wrote:

"Though that was an early stoppage. Got to see what happens when they're on the ground."

Meanwhile, prominent MMA coach Eric Nicksick wrote:

"Marc [Goddard] has a quick trigger as of late, especially in title fights. Let them go, make sure it's over?"

Check out some of the reactions below:

UFC 295 main event reactions via X