Marc Goddard Says he Called Kamaru Usman – Colby Covington Stoppage “on The Money”

Not long after Colby Covington was taken out by Kamaru Usman at UFC 245, he blamed referee Marc Goddard for the defeat. More recently, “Chaos” has been piling on the renowned ref again for what transpired. We hadn’t heard much from Goddard regarding the fight’s stoppage, but recently the veteran official outlined why he made the call that he did.

Goddard comments on the stoppage

Since his crushing loss in December, Covington has argued that Goddard messed up several times in the fight. According to the controversial fighter, Goddard gave breaks to Usman for strikes that were not fouls. Covington has also said that Goddard ignored strikes to the back of his head in the final flurry, and that the fight should not have been stopped.

Well, recently Goddard had this to say about the fight’s stoppage, while speaking with Dan Hardy (quote via MMA Junkie):

“(It was a) difficult fight. I know I handled it on the money, to a T,” Goddard said. “I’m seeing things unfold, and I see Colby put down twice in rapid order – plus 24 minutes of back-and-forth before that. So there’s a lot of damage sustained. Then I see him go down, and obviously he stays in that turtle position started on the double, then pulling his hands back. This is where everything will narrow in for me. I’m now firmly put in the spotlight. I have a decision to make and I’m trying to assess this. I have to assess this, real time, with everything I saw, etc.”

“I’m looking at Colby, and then I see the damage he’s sustained, the two knockdowns, etc.,” Goddard said. “When you are face down, when I can’t see you, I can’t read you. It’s difficult for me to … that exasperates everything further. So I’m now trying to compute in my mind: ‘Are you there, (or) are you not?’

“Could I have let that fight go on? Yeah. Could have I stood back and let it go on? Yeah. Should I have let it? And that’s the narrative here. Should I have? And that’s the point I make when I’m assessing what happened, assessing the position he’s in: two knockdowns, (and) he’s being punched.”

Did Goddard make the right call? 

It’s hard to disagree with much of what Goddard said here. Covington had been dropped twice, his face was a mess, and Usman would have likely tagged him with more big shots. That aside, even if the fight had gone the distance, Usman would have been a lock to win it on account of what transpired in the fifth. That’s likely why there didn’t appear to be much outcry regarding the stoppage.

But, if you think Covington is going to stop blaming Goddard for how he called the stoppage, as well as the entire fight, think again.

It’s going to be really interesting to see who Covington faces next and whether he can take a step back towards another title shot.