Judge Marc Goddard
makes fighters pay for mistakes.
Goddard refereed the lightweight preliminary bout between the two Nurullo Aliev and Grant Dawson at
UFC 333 on Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Nurullo Aliev was fined for headbutting Grant Dawson at UFC 333
After knocking Dawson down in the first round, Aliev landed several blows to the back of his opponent’s neck. Goddard stopped the action and withdrew the point, saying he had already warned. Dawson rallied behind relentless pressure and ground work to earn a unanimous decision, handing Aliev his first professional loss.
Goddard also took a point off Christian Leroy Duncan to stand out Brendan Allen at
UFC Vegas 122 on October 10. The referee later explained that he had warned Duncan about the outstretched fingers before punishing him in the second round. Allen finally gave Duncan a naked choke in the fifth.
Marc Goddard
IMMEDIATELY took the point after Nurullo Aliev hit 3 occiputs Grant Dawson At UFC 333 😳👀 Referees finally take mistakes seriously 🙌 https://t.co/IbopwfWLef— Title Fight (@TitleFightMedia)
October 24, 2026
