Eric Nicksick blasts ref Mark Smith after UFC Vegas 101: “I think he’s an egomaniac”

Eric Nicksick, the top coach of Chris Curtis, wasn’t a fan of referee Mark Smith and his stoppage at UFC Vegas 101.

Curtis suffered a third-round knockout loss to Roman Kopylov on the primary card. The struggle was stopped with one second left after Kopylov landed a head kick that dropped Curtis, however Kopylov walked away and didn’t land any punches. Many thought it was an early stoppage, particularly with one second left.

Even earlier than the stoppage, Eric Nicksick says he already had a problem with Mark Smith previously. Now, after the way in which he dealt with the struggle, the coach desires to request Smith doesn’t ref any of his fighters’ struggle’s going ahead.

“I’m gonna discover all that out [from the commission]. 100%. It’s simply too far gone,” Nicksick mentioned on his Verse Us podcast (by way of MMAMania). “Like, I do know this man too properly, anecdotally, by means of all of my experiences with him, and on a private degree of what I’ve seen with different individuals and different fights. Like, there’s no means that this man can’t maintain a grudge or be biased. There’s simply no means. I do know him too properly, and he fraternizes with different gyms, groups, fighters, coaches, and all the things else. So, the strains have been blurred. I believe he’s an egomaniac. I imply, I’ve by no means heard a ref ask individuals to vote for him for the MMA ref of the 12 months.”

Nicksick additionally says the stoppage on Curtis isn’t the complete purpose why he’s mad. As an alternative, he says the directions Smith gave within the locker room aren’t how he ref’d the struggle with stalling and fouls, which pissed off the coach.