Referee Marc Goddard
is making fighters pay for fouls.
Goddard refereed the lightweight preliminary bout between Nurullo
Aliev and Grant
Dawson at
UFC 333 on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Nurullo Aliev penalized for back-of-head strikes against Grant
Dawson at UFC 333
After dropping Dawson in the first round, Aliev landed several
shots to the back of his opponent’s head. Goddard stopped the
action and deducted a point, saying he had already issued warnings.
Dawson rallied behind relentless pressure and ground work to earn a
unanimous decision, handing Aliev his first professional
defeat.
Goddard also deducted a point from Christian
Leroy Duncan for an eye poke against Brendan
Allen at
UFC Vegas 122 on Oct. 10. The referee later explained that he
had warned Duncan about his outstretched fingers before penalizing
him in the second round. Allen ultimately submitted Duncan with a
rear-naked choke in the fifth.
Marc Goddard
IMMEDIATELY took a point after Nurullo
Aliev landed 3 back of the head shots on Grant
Dawson at UFC 333 😳👀 Referees are finally taking fouls
seriously 🙌 https://t.co/IbopwfWLef— Title Fight (@TitleFightMedia)
October 24, 2026