“Mortal Kombat!” – Return of Dana White’s MOST-HATED referee Mario Yamasaki at recent PFL Championship leaves fans in splits

Dana White's contentious relationship with MMA referees, Mario Yamasaki's return, and the ongoing debate over stoppages in high-stakes fights.

“Mortal Kombat!” – Return of Dana White’s MOST-HATED referee Mario Yamasaki at recent PFL Championship leaves fans in splits

Dana White went on a rant against Mario Yamasaki in 2018 (Image via: X/MMA Mania, YouTube/Fox)

Dana White is not someone who is afraid to speak up against what he feels. He has come at odds with many referees in MMA for their apparent mistakes. Steve Mazzagatti, Chris Tognoni, Al Guinee, and Leon Roberts all faced the wrath of White. However, referee Mario Yamasaki was the most hated by Dana White.

Yamasaki is known for giving fighters more than enough time to recover from blows. But Dana White is not a fan of fighters taking excessive damage. As such, Yamasaki has not officiated since his infamous refereeing at UFC Fight Night 125. Nevertheless, the MMA community was surprised to see Yamasaki at PFL 10 2023.

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He officiated the light heavyweight final between Josh Silviera and Impa Kasanganay and also the main event. The main event was a lightweight final between Olivier Aubin-Mercier and Clay Collard. Both fights went the full distance.

Yamasaki was on White’s bad books for quite some time when he was a staple in refereeing behind “Big” John McCarthy and Herb Dean. However, it was at UFC Fight Night 125 that things reached a boiling point.

Yamasaki officiated the co-main event between Valentina Shevchenko and Priscila Cachoeira. The fight was one-sided with Shevchenko landing more than 300 strikes to Cachoeira’s 3. It was only after Shevchenko put Cachoeira in a rear naked choke that Yamasaki stopped the fight.

Dana White went on a famous rant when he described the incident. Recently, the decision of Marc Goddard at UFC 295 was criticized by many. Many deemed his stoppage in the Alex Pereira vs Jiri Prochazka bout as early. However, Prochazka agreed with the stoppage. White did not comment further after hearing about Prochazka’s statements.

Controversial referee Mario Yamasaki returns at PFL Championship with divisive fan reactions

The unexpected return of controversial referee Mario Yamasaki to the PFL 10 2023 stirred up the MMA community Mario Yamasaki’s tenure as an MMA referee was riddled with controversy. His tendency to let fights continue, even when fighters were clearly in danger, drew criticism from all corners.

Mario Yamasaki declares Valentina Shevchenko as winner against Priscila Cachoeira
Mario Yamasaki declares Valentina Shevchenko as the winner against Priscila Cachoeira (Image Courtesy – MMA Fighting)

Yamasaki’s handling of the UFC bout between Valentina Shevchenko and Priscila Cachoeira is particularly notorious. See how the MMA community reacted to the return of Yamasaki inside the smart cage.

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The MMA community’s response to Yamasaki’s comeback at the PFL event was mixed. Some welcomed his return, however, others expressed concern about his decision-making and commitment to fighter safety. However, his handling of the two assignments at the PFL event was praiseworthy. Nevertheless, that did not stop fans from digging up old memories.

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