"Marc Goddard and Sal D'Amato is a wild combination for a robbery" - Fans erupt as officials for Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev are announced 

The officials for the UFC 313 main event, Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev, were announced by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and fight fans don't appear to be too happy. Veteran referee Marc Goddard will be the third man inside the octagon with Periera and Ankalaev, while Mike Bell, Derek Cleary and Sal D’Amato will handle the judging duties.

With the officials having a history of controversy, fight fans shared their thoughts about them officiating the UFC 313 main event on social media.

One fan commented:

"Omg Marc goddard and Sal D’Amato is a wild combination for a robbery lol"

A second fan commented:

"Derek cleary must have some dirt on someone to keep getting work"

Another fan commented:

"The Three Stooges of MMA judging; Mike Bell, Derek Cleary, Sal D’Amato."

Check out more comments below:

Screenshot of comments [Image Source - @mma_orbit on X]

Incidentally, all four officials have made controversial decisions in the past. Goddard has received criticism from Merab Dvalishvili and Colby Covington, among others, for stopping the fights too early.

Mike Bell became a subject of discussion due to scoring the fifth round of the rematch between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko 10-8 in the Mexican fighter's favor, resulting in a split draw.

Derek Cleary has received criticism from Henry Cejudo on multiple occasions. 'The Messenger' attributes his losses to Joseph Benavidez and Aljamain Sterling to Cleary's wrong judging.

Sal D'Amato had received harsh criticism following the UFC Fight Night at Apex headlined by Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira. D'Amato was the sole dissenter on four split decision results on that fight card.

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Gilbert Burns predicts Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev

Shortly after UFC 312, UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns gave an early prediction for Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalev on the Show Me The Money Podcast.

Burns is confident in his compatriot's skillset against the Dagestani title challenger. 'Durinho' referenced Anakalev's title fight against Jan Blachowicz in which Ankalaev had trouble against the former champion's leg kicks.

He said:

"I think Poatan [Alex Pereira] does Poatan, you know, he's gonna be out there. Chama this and tha, and he's going to win. But Ankalaev is a tough dude, you know? One thing, like, when I start to look at both fighters, Ankalaev had a problem with Blachowicz when Blachowicz was kicking him. So if that's the case, Poatan kicks way harder."

However, Burns doesn't think it will be an easy fight for Alex Pereira. He pointed out that Ankalaev has a solid chin and Pereira will find it difficult to finish him. As such, the 38-year-old predicted a decision victory for his compatriot:

"But that guy has a big head, no, very big head, bro. Very. I'm honest. He has a freaking brick right here. So I don't know if Poatan will be able to pull him out. I think he's going to be striking, but he's not going to get hit with that. I just think they're going to be moving a lot. I think that's going to be a decision for Poatan."

Check out Gilbert Burns' comments about Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev below(6:03):