UFC flyweight Maycee Barber has gone public with strong criticism of referee Mark Smith following her controversial victory over Karina Silva at UFC 323, declaring she no longer feels safe with him officiating her fights.
During the bout, Silva landed an illegal upkick while Barber had grounded knees. Despite the apparent foul, Smith assessed it as "not a hard blow" and issued no point deduction. Barber revealed the true impact of the strike in a post-fight interview with MMA Fighting.
"As soon as she hit me, I just remember my face and my neck feeling like I hit my funny bone. And I was like, everything's tingly," Barber explained, adding that upon reviewing footage she was visibly wobbled by the illegal strike.
Barber's criticism of Smith was direct and unfiltered: "From my perspective now, I'm like, to me, I'm like, I don't want him reffing my fights at all. I don't feel safe in there with him anymore. I don't feel like he's a fair, a very fair ref."
The 27-year-old also raised concerns about the disparity between fighters and officials when it comes to consequences for poor performance.
"He can have a bad day at work, but he's going to get paid regardless. So, it kind of sucks that we have us athletes that have to go in and have people that can have off days and still get paid and risk our jobs," Barber stated.
Adding to the officiating controversy, Barber revealed a timer malfunction during Round 2 that her coach brought to her attention post-fight.
"The guy that was in control of the timer, he forgot to hit the timer. So there was a spot where there was like 10 seconds at the end of the round where the triangle shouldn't have even happened," she explained.
Smith's officiating at UFC 323 drew widespread criticism, with fans and fighters calling his performance "dreadful" after a questionable stoppage in the Brandon Moreno vs. Tatsuro Taira bout earlier on the card.
Despite the controversies, Barber secured the unanimous decision victory in her first fight in 21 months and is already targeting a quick turnaround.