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Mario Yamasaki says he finally might be done with MMA: “I don’t know if I’ll still referee again”
Former UFC official Mario Yamasaki says that he finally might be done with MMA, suggesting that “I don’t know if I’ll still referee again.” Yamasaki was one of the most-used referees by the UFC for 20 years before UFC president Dana White banned him from officiating events his company promoted following a controversial late stoppage […]
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Michael Chiesa takes aim at Mario Yamasaki following news of his return to MMA refereeing
Michael Chiesa took aim at Mario Yamasaki after the controversial referee announced his plans to return to mixed martial arts. Yamasaki has not worked as a referee since February of 2018, when he was on duty for a Fight Night in Belem, Brazil. Mario was the subject of much controversy that night, after he allowed […]
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Mario Yamasaki announces plans to return to MMA refereeing “as soon as possible”
Controversial mixed martial arts referee Mario Yamasaki has outlined his plans to return to officiating the sport in 2021. Yamasaki has not worked as a referee since February of 2018, when he was on duty for a Fight Night in Belem, Brazil. He was the subject of much controversy that night, after he allowed Priscila […]
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Mario Yamasaki believes Herb Dean could have stopped Jai Herbert fight sooner
Veteran MMA official Mario Yamasaki believes that Herb Dean could have stopped last weekend’s fight between Jai Herbert and Francisco Trinaldo sooner. After Trinaldo dropped Herbert with an overhand left in their catchweight bout at UFC Fight Island 3, Dean didn’t immediately stop the fight and instead required Trinaldo to land several ground strikes on […]
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Referee Mario Yamasaki plotting comeback one year after Shevchenko-Cachoeira controversy
Mario Yamasaki has not refereed a UFC fight since he came under fire for failing to put an end to Valentina Shevchenko’s brutal beatdown of Priscila Cachoeira in February of 2018. Speaking to MMA Fighting this week, the veteran referee discussed his hiatus from officiating. While he’s been keen to stay out of the blast […]
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Mario Yamasaki admits he should have stopped Cachoeira fight earlier, plans to attend refereeing course
Back in February, referee Mario Yamasaki allowed top flyweight contender Valentina Shevchenko to bludgeon a grossly outmatched Priscila Cachoeira for far longer than he should have. This egregious officiating blunder sparked outrage from many members of the MMA community, including UFC President Dana White, who assured he’d do everything he could to assure Yamasaki never […]
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Yancy Medeiros is wondering where Mario Yamasaki was when he needed him
On Sunday night, the UFC touched down in Austin, Texas with an exciting night of fights. In the main event, Hawaii’s Yancy Medeiros stepped into the cage with fan favorite finisher Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. Had Medeiros won this fight, he likely would have surged into the welterweight top-10. Regrettably for the Hawaiian and his fans, […]
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Dana White promises we’ll never see “disgusting” Mario Yamasaki again
Last weekend, in the co-main event of the UFC’s return to Belem, Brazil’s Priscila Cachoeira was brutalized by the far more experienced Valentina Shevchenko en route to a second-round submission loss. In the wake of this brutal fight, there has been widespread criticism of referee Mario Yamasaki. In the eyes of many fans and pundits, the […]
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VIDEO | Brendan Schaub Puts Mario Yamasaki on Blast After UFC Belem
“He’s awful. He’s terrible. This is what’s alarming, ‘I allowed Priscila [Cachoeira] to be a warrior and keep fighting’. That is not your job as a referee. We don’t need you to dictate who’s a warrior and who’s not a warrior. That is not your call. She was in serious trouble and she was so […]
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VIDEO | Rose Namajunas: If I’m Looking Like That in a Fight, Throw in the Towel
There has been a lot on mixed opinions and controversy since Valentina Shevchenko’s domination against Priscila Cachoeira at UFC Belem. So much so, that Shevchenko’s amazing performance has taken a back seat to referee and corner criticism. Rose Namajunas has put in many hours with ‘The Bullet’ so she was watching the fight closely. She […]
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Joe Rogan believes Yamasaki should have stopped Cachoeira fight earlier, also criticizes matchmaking
Last Saturday, in the co-main event of the UFC’s trip to Belem, Brazilian flyweight Priscila Cachoeira stepped into the Octagon for the first time. Despite the fact she was making her UFC debut with just 8 pro fights behind her, her opponent was the vastly more experienced Valentina Shevchenko, who is widely regarded as one of the […]
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Brazilian Commission issues statement on Priscila Cachoeira’s brutal loss to Valentina Shevchenko
Over the weekend, Brazilian fighter Priscila Cachoeira experienced a brutal beatdown at the hands of Valentina Shevchenko, absorbing a brain-rattling 230 strikes en route to a second-round submission loss. In the wake of this lopsided and bloody contest, many fans, pundits and UFC personalities have argued that referee Mario Yamasaki should have stopped the fight far […]
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Mario Yamasaki issues statement following controversial co-main event at UFC Belem
Mario Yamasaki issues statement following controversial co-main event at UFC Belem. Mixed martial arts referee Mario Yamasaki faced a ton of criticism following his controversial stoppage in the co-main event of last weekend’s UFC Fight Night 125 event in Belem, Brazil. The veteran referee allowed flyweight newcomer Priscila Cachoeira to take a lot of damage […]
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Mario Yamasaki and UFC should share blame for Priscila Cachoeira’s prolonged beating
Former UFC bantamweight title challenger Valentina Shevchenko could not have been more impressive in her Saturday night flyweight debut, out-landing her opponent Priscila Cachoeira by a 230-3 margin en-route to a second-round submission win. Regrettably, much of the buzz surrounding this fight has been negative, as the widespread perception is that referee Mario Yamasaki let this […]
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Michael Chiesa challenges referee Mario Yamasaki to grappling match, Yamasaki responds
On June 25, the UFC touched down in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma with UFC Fight Night 112. In the main event, Kevin Lee and Michael Chiesa went to war in a compelling clash of lightweight contenders. Unfortunately this main event was shrouded in controversy, as Lee locked up a first-round rear-naked choke, but referee Mario Yamasaki […]
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Dana White blasts “12 year old girl” Mario Yamasaki for early stoppage in Lee vs. Chiesa fight
Last night, in the main event of UFC Fight Night 112 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, ranked UFC lightweights Kevin Lee and Michael Chiesa collided in an anticipated grudge match. This clash of grappling specialists was a fun one while it lasted. Unfortunately, the end of the fight was shadowed in controversy. As the seconds fell […]
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Referee Mario Yamasaki on late Lewis vs. Browne stoppage: It’s hard to please everyone
Last weekend, in the main event of the UFC’s latest trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Derrick Lewis scored a thunderous, second-round knockout over the ever-dangerous Travis Browne. With this win, which is arguably the biggest of his career, Lewis extended his win-streak to six, and established himself as a bona fide heavyweight contender. Unfortunately, Lewis’ […]