Referee Marc Goddard reacts to late stoppage claims in Marlon Moraes' loss to Rob Font at UFC Vegas 17

Referee Marc Goddard issued a reaction to people claiming he was late in stopping the Rob Font and Marlon Moraes fight at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal, Saturday evening at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Rob Font picked up a massive victory in the main card of UFC Vegas 17, shocking the world and knocking out former title challenger Marlon Moraes in the first round.

Rob Font survived an early submission attempt from Moraes and then found an opening to unload a barrage of strikes.

Rob Font landed punch after punch as Moraes struggled to stay in the fight before eventually crumbling to the mat.

Moraes continued to absorb punishment from Font before referee Marc Goddard eventually stepped in to stop the bout. The online vein of opinion, however, was that the stoppage came a bit late.

Aljamain Sterling comes to Marc Goddard's defense for Rob Font-Marlon Moraes stoppage

While some may have felt that Marc Goddard did a poor job in his stoppage of the Rob Font versus Marlon Moraes bout, others believe that the veteran referee was spot on.

One of them is UFC bantamweight contender Aljamain Sterling, who said he had nothing but respect for Goddard:

Just stoppage. Marc Goddard gave him every chance to stay in the fight. I give him a lot of respect for this one. Sometimes I give him flack but this was perfect IMO. No questions or room for debate https://t.co/LlwXfmlrLA

— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) December 20, 2020

"Just stoppage. Marc Goddard gave him every chance to stay in the fight. I give him a lot of respect for this one. Sometimes I give flack, but this was perfect, IMO. No questions or room for debate."

Goddard appreciated Sterling's show of support and responded to the tweet, claiming that he is at peace with his actions being heavily scrutinized.

As a ref you accept the fact that you may fall on the swords of others words & opinions. We are literally one fight or one punch away from a place where your total body of work or experience means nothing. That’s just the way that it is, but I remain ever thankful. Appreciated 🙏🏽 https://t.co/CceDQlgzcE

— Marc Goddard (@marcgoddard_uk) December 20, 2020

"As a ref, you accept the fact that you may fall on the swords of others' words and opinions. We are literally one fight or one punch away from a place where your total body of work or experience means nothing. That's just the way that it is, but I remain ever thankful. Appreciated."

In a sport as fast-paced and as physical as mixed martial arts, there is a very small margin for error, and the sport's officials are faced with a very tough task each time they step in as the third man inside the Octagon.

As with all referees in the UFC, Marc Goddard has gotten his fair share of criticism, especially with regards to perceived late stoppages.

Do you think the Rob Font vs. Marlon Moraes was a late stoppage?