UFC 267: Twitter roasts terrible referee in Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Benoit St. Denis bout
Everyone is left questioning what referee Vyacheslav Kiselev was doing as Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Benoit St. Denis went on at UFC 267
Halloween is tomorrow, but those watching UFC 267 were given quite the scary sight in Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos‘s unanimous decision victory over Benoit St. Denis during the preliminary card.
Instead of talking about the victory, most are left baffled by the performance and actions of the fight’s referee, Vyacheslav Kiselev. Actually, in this case, “referee” is a bit generous of a title.
At multiple times during the second round, Zaleski appeared to rock St. Denis hard to the point where St. Denis seemed unable to defend himself. St. Denis was busted open, and more than once he appeared to be out on his feet. But for whatever reason, the fight played on.
St. Denis was then the victim of an accidental eye poke, and he informed Kiselev during a break in the action that he was unable to see. Instead of responsibly stopping the fight or calling in the ringside physician, however, Kiselev let the fight continue.
MMA Twitter is up in arms over Vyacheslav Kiselev’s questionable referee during the Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Benoit St. Denis bout at UFC 267
As dos Santos’s domination of St. Denis continued, dos Santos hit St. Denis with an accidental low blow during the third. The referee then decided to add on to his list of controversial calls by deducting a point from dos Santos.
Dos Santos went on to win the fight 29-26.
The commentary team and MMA media highly criticized the referee for his inability to act, as well as St. Denis’s corner for not throwing in the towel to protect their fighter.
MMA fans showed no mercy either.
The ref watching Dos Santos commit a sanctioned felony: #UFC267 pic.twitter.com/P2ojaQS4xs
— MacMally 🍀 (@MacMallyMMA) October 30, 2021
MMA, specially @ufc which is the highest level, isn’t the place@to experiment with referees. What just happened at #ufc267 in Abu Dhabi at Elizeu x Benoit is atrocious, dangerous and can’t be allowed. Ref should protect the fighters health, not shorten their lives. Unbelievable!
— Eduardo Alonso (@eduardo_alonso) October 30, 2021
Saint denis: "I can't see" #UFC267
— Shed Boy (@Callum_JN) October 30, 2021
This ref: pic.twitter.com/yEeHYIQRrI
Is this ref higher than me rn? WTF… #UFC267
— AK-KT 🔫 (@KatieVegaMMA) October 30, 2021
The ref rn:#UFC267 pic.twitter.com/jwHC9vtUx1
— Alex Behunin (@AlexBehunin) October 30, 2021
That ref for sure applied for the job on Zip Recruiter dot com and faked his resume. #UFC267
— MacMally 🍀 (@MacMallyMMA) October 30, 2021
Balls are way more important than eyes and brains to this ref #ufc267 #mma
— phoenix carnevale (@microphonephoen) October 30, 2021
I'm all for giving the fighter a chance but fuck this ref. Hard. #UFC267
— Shannon (@imstillshannon) October 30, 2021
That dude made all the refs we regularly shit on look like Nobel peace prize winners. #UFC267
— Dan (@BestFightPicks) October 30, 2021
This ref is in his own world #UFC267
— CeejayMMA (@CeejayMma) October 30, 2021
Investigate this ref immediately #UFC267
— Raphael Garcia (@RGarcia_Sports) October 30, 2021
Mario Yamasaki watching this ref's performance: #UFC267 https://t.co/hTGErdNwjd
— Mookie Alexander (@mookiealexander) October 30, 2021
#UFC267
— Dmurray 🔜 #TIFF23 (@Drokcomedy) October 30, 2021
benoit saint denis: I literally can't see
Ref: pic.twitter.com/j4vG87dGhJ
How much did this ref bet on Benoit St. Denis #UFC267
— Ken (@kennyyanng) October 30, 2021
All of us trying to figure out what the hell the ref is doing #ufc267 pic.twitter.com/z60mtKqF9L
— Pizza Dad (@Pizza__Dad) October 30, 2021
Immediately after the fight, it was announced by Jon Anik that Kiselev has been removed from his remaining assignment of the night — the pay-per-view card opening bout between Magomed Ankalaev and Volkan Oezdemir.
Kiselev is a former MMA fighter himself, going 0-4 over the course of four bouts between 1997 and 2003.
dark. Next. UFC 267: Jan Błachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira live results and highlights