Referee Yamasaki hopes to return to UFC in 2019

Bloodyelbow.com

Mario Yamasaki took a bit of a break from officiating MMA fights in 2018, but he wants to get back into it this year.

Yamasaki, one of the most notable MMA referees, hasn’t stepped into the UFC’s Octagon since Feb. 3, 2018, when he refereed the UFC Belem co-main event between now-flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko and Priscila Cachoeira. Yamasaki was highly criticized after the fight for not stopping the fight during Shevchenko’s periods of ground-and-pound. Shevchenko eventually won with a submission in the second round.

Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA), as well as the UFC matchmakers, also came under fire after the bout, which proved to be a mismatch. Cachoeira’s coach was criticized for not throwing in the towel as well.

After Shevchenko’s dominant win, UFC president Dana White said he never wanted to see Yamasaki referee a UFC fight again. His wish has held up for now, but Yamasaki hopes to see things turn around this year.

Yamasaki said in an interview with MMA Fighting that he remained on the sidelines of MMA officiating for the most part of 2018. He said he refereed 10 PFL bouts, as well as multiple Brazilian events not regulated by CABMMA. That was, however, far fewer assignments that he is used to.

”I ended up focusing on other jobs and didn’t apply to any athletic commission after that fight because Dana would keep coming after me,” Yamasaki said. “I decided to take a year off to relax and reset. I think I’ll apply to an athletic commission again this year and come back after relaxing for a year.”

Yamasaki said he has reached out to Marc Ratner, the UFC vice president of regulatory affairs, to see what he has to do to get work in the Octagon again.

After the controversial Shevchenko vs. Cachoeira stoppage, Yamasaki defended his decision, saying he allowed Cachoeira to be “a warrior.” Fast forward a year, however, and Yamasaki regrets not stopping the bout sooner.

”I think I really could have stopped it earlier,” he said. “It was a mistake.

“I told ‘Pedrita’ in the locker room that I wouldn’t stop the fight if she was defending herself. She moved every time I said I was going to stop the fight, but I really should have stopped it earlier so it wouldn’t have [been] controversial. It was no one else’s fault but me.”