Referee Defends Eye-Poke Penalty After Warning Christian Leroy Duncan Twice

The middleweight main event at UFC Vegas 122 delivered high-stakes drama from start to finish at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Brendan Allen secured a dramatic victory, ending the grueling battle by submitting Christian Leroy Duncan with a rear-naked choke at 2:46 of the fifth and final round.

However, Brendan Allen's impressive finish took a backseat because of a debated second-round penalty. Referee Marc Goddard surprised commentators by deducting a point from Christian Leroy Duncan for an eye poke. While it appeared to be Duncan's first infraction of the fight, Goddard later defended the strict penalty on social media.

Marc Goddard Details Warnings Behind Christian Leroy Duncan Point Deduction at UFC Vegas 122 Saturday Night

During the opening round, Allen complained to the referee about Duncan extending his fingers forward during their close-range exchanges. Goddard issued a verbal warning immediately. Early in the second round, Christian Leroy Duncan poked Allen in the eye during a striking exchange. Goddard immediately paused the fight and deducted a point from Duncan.

Since taking a point on a first official foul is rare in MMA, the decision led to endless chatter online. Marc Goddard later took to X to clarify that the penalty was the result of a strict timeline of events rather than a snap judgment.

“I’d like to offer some clarity on this as I believe it’s a teachable moment & gives insight into what we are doing as officials to overcome certain obstacles,” Goddard wrote on X. “As referees we go over the rules one to one with fighters in the back before the fight begins, here we specifically cover potential eyes pokes."

Marc Goddard's Explanation on Christian Leroy Duncan's Early Point Deduction Continued

He explained that these locker room meetings establish the boundaries before the opening bell even rings. By addressing the rules directly with individual athletes, officials attempt to set a clear standard for the entire night.

“CLD is a credit to the sport of MMA & an exceptional athlete,” Marc Goddard added. “There’s so much more, mechanically to addressing eye pokes in MMA both preventatively (before the action) and correctively (after the action) it is very hard to expect an athlete to change 20 years of training & habit with a few minutes of conversation pre-fight."

The veteran referee acknowledged that it is incredibly difficult for a fighter to change decades of muscle memory during a match. He ended his long note emphasizing that MMA referees are fully committed to stopping eye pokes moving forward.

Viewers Come to Marc Goddard's Defense Amid Point Deduction and Brendan Allen Advocates for Title Shot with Strickland's Status in Flux

Amid the chatter, some fans on social media praised Goddard’s decision and called it the new standard for MMA officiating. However, the penalty did not change the outcome. Brendan Allen, the 30-year-old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt advanced his record to 28-7 and extended his UFC winning streak to four.

Meanwhile, Christian Leroy Duncan (15-3) defended well early in his first UFC main event and landed heavy strikes on the feet. But Allen never stopped pressing forward. He used a body lock to control Duncan in the fourth round, then took his back in the fifth to lock in the submission.

Following the victory, the No. 5-ranked middleweight contender immediately called for a title shot. With Sean Strickland locked in a contract dispute with the promotion, Allen argued that if Strickland refuses to fight, he should vacate the belt so that he and Nassourdine Imavov can fight for the open title.