Referee who allowed Jamahal Hill to fight on despite clearly broken arm is apparently a BJJ instructor

The UFC 263 matchup between Jamahal Hill and Paul Craig ended in a gruesome fashion, with the former suffering a severely broken left arm.

Paul Craig snapped Jamahal Hill's arm in the opening round after catching his opponent in a triangle. Unfortunately, Jamahal Hill absorbed more punishment than necessary after referee Al Guinee allowed the action to continue.

PAUL CRAIG OH MY GOODNESS!! 😱 #UFC263 pic.twitter.com/BnpvM2Vzmt

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) June 13, 2021

Al Guinee called for a late stoppage at the 1:59 mark of round one, with the injured Jamahal Hill getting blasted with strikes. The controversial ending of the fight was deemed a TKO due to injury.

What's more unfortunate was that Al Guinee, the man who was responsible for protecting the fighters, is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor with a black belt. He teaches BJJ at the famed Gracie Barra Academy in Tucson, Arizona.

Sad part of what happened in that Craig-Hill fight is that the referee, Al Guinee, is a BJJ instructor. https://t.co/NxjjyeRs0G

— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) June 13, 2021

Gracie Barra Academy's website contains a brief description of Al Guinee's BJJ resume. The referee's instruction page reads:

"Professor Al has been part of the Gracie Barra Tucson family since we opened our doors 5 years ago. He has been learning jiu-jitsu for a total of 11 years. Professor Al is not only a natural leader but also a dynamic teacher. He not only helps teach at Gracie Barra Tucson but during his work as a police sergeant, he is the main instructor at the Tucson police academy."

The controversial referee won't be refereeing any more fights at UFC 263:

Confirmed with officials that Al Guinee won't be refereeing anymore fights tonight. #UFC263 https://t.co/tEvEGiejyJ

— SUNS IN 6 AL-SHATTI (@shaunalshatti) June 13, 2021

Bad blood: Paul Craig vs. Jamahal Hill

UFC 263: Adesanya v Vettori 2

There was legitimate animosity between Paul Craig and Jamahal Hill. Ahead of their UFC 263 clash, the two went at each other in interviews and social media posts. When the pair of rivals arrived at the fighters' hotel in Glendale, Arizona, they had to be separated by security and staff.

In the opening moments of their main card bout, both Paul Craig and Jamahal Hill took a conservative approach as they started feeling each other out. But it didn't take long before the fight shifted to the ground when Paul Craig decided to pull guard.

Jamahal Hill was able to evade a few submission attempts by Paul Craig. However, 'Bearjew' successfully slapped on a triangle and torqued his opponent's arm at a gnarly angle.