8 Most Controversial UFC Refereeing Decisions Of 2019

In a thrilling fight, Claudio Silva and Danny Roberts ended up in a scramble with Roberts eventually getting entangled in an armbar. Roberts slammed Silva on his head and appeared to be sliding out of the hold when, suddenly, the referee stepped in to declare the fight over despite no tap happening.

Roberts had bloodied up Silva, was winning the round and the call cost him what was to be a three-fight winning streak. Roberts made his disdain known as he shouted at the referee and hammered his feet into the canvas. The commentary team was just as dumbfounded even when watching the replay multiple times.

It was made even harder to swallow when Roberts gave a tearful post-fight speech about how he had escaped other submissions similarly in the previous rounds, and that his son was in the audience. He would explain he let out a grunt when pulling his arm free which the referee took for a verbal submission

It raised the question: when a fighter vocalizes, does it equal that they are in too much pain? Or are they merely pushing themselves that extra bit to escape a hold?

Roberts never screamed in agony like BJ Penn when he had his foot almost ripped from his leg by Ryan Hall, and he never looked to the referee for help.

Alas, Roberts did vocalize during an armbar and thus became a cautionary warning to others that they better become a mime in similar situations before a loss is stamped on their record.