MMA Star Gets Disqualified After Trying To Fight The Referee

Ahmad Al Darmaki has copped a barrage of criticism - and rightly so.

Not only did he hold onto a submission attempt long after the officials had called off his fight, Al Darmaki then tried to fight the referee for separating the two fighters.

During the UAE Warriors 12 event in Abu Dhabi, mixed martial artist Al Darmaki had a night to forget despite securing a win against Bogdan Kirilenko - or so he thought.

With the fight going to the ground, Al Darmaki looked set to get his hand raised when he locked in a tight rear naked choke on his opponent.

It wasn't long before Kirilenko tapped out, which handed Al Darmaki the win. Although the fight itself didn't stop there.

Incredibly, Al Darmaki continued to hold on to his submission long after the referee had waved off the bout, resulting in fight official Marc Goddard pulling the two apart.

It took a fair bit of force, but Goddard somehow managed to get Al Darmaki to release the choke hold before throwing him to the ground.

Clearly unhappy with being decked by the towering referee, Al Darmaki pushed Goddard in the chest multiple times.

In an attempt to stop the raged fighter, Goddard quickly grabbed hold of Al Darmaki's flailing hands which were moving closer and closer towards the referee's throat.

"No no no, you can't do that," the fight commentator said.

"He's going to make a big mistake messing with Marc Goddard.

"Wow, things just took a crazy turn."

Ahmad Al Darmaki was ultimately disqualified by the judges.

While fans and reporters were quick to slate Al Darmaki for his appalling actions, many heaped praise on the referee for keeping his cool and defusing the situation.

It's not the first time Marc Goddard has had to deal with antics inside the octagon, either.

The veteran referee from the UK was confronted by UFC megastar Conor McGregor at Bellator 187 back in 2017.

The Irishman scaled the cage to celebrate his fellow counrtyman Charlie Ward's victory, but quickly locked horns with Goddard when the referee tried to remove him.

Referees are often the first to cop flak for bad calls or wrong decisions, but this time Goddard deserves a round of applause.

Topics: Abu Dhabi, UFC, Twitter, Australia, MMA

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry