One of the UFC’s top refs is catching some major flack for his officiating decision in Saturday night’s fight.
At UFC Fight Night 262 at the Rogers Center in Vancouver, veteran referee Dan Miragliotta had everyone lost with his costly Round 1 blunder during the main lightweight card between Kyle Nelson and Matt Frevola.
The decision was so bad that you could audibly hear the thousands in attendance screaming “Ref sucks!” as the round came to its rightful close. And fans online were even more upset.
Dan Miragliotta prematurely restarts round
Nelson had Frevola in big trouble in the opening round and looked to be in line for the TKO before Miragliotta gave the American-born fighter a second lease on life by restarting the match with three seconds left.
Miragliotta reportedly said that he heard a bell and that’s why he got in the middle to break things up.
But in the process he helped guide the fight towards a unanimous decision, costing Nelson a five-figure bonus that he could’ve secured had the fight ended when it was supposed to.
Needless to say, viewers were irate.
Dan Miragliotta clearly waves the fight off with 3 seconds left in Round 1. Kyle Nelson should’ve been credited with a TKO victory. After this the fight continued and Frevola was cornered in a neutral corner instead of the blue corner. WILD. #UFCVancouverpic.twitter.com/T1ANgxcgZj
— FULL SEND MMA (@full_send_mma) October 18, 2025
Fans call for Miragliotta’s job on X
“I think it’s safe to say that this has been the worst night of Dan Miragliotta’s career,” Andrew Gombas posted.
“Dan Miragliotta clearly waves the fight off with 3 seconds left in Round 1. Kyle Nelson should’ve been credited with a TKO victory. After this the fight continued and Frevola was cornered in a neutral corner instead of the blue corner. WILD,” Full Send MMA replied.
“I do not say this lightly, Dan Miragliotta should never be allowed to referee again,” a user shared.
“Dan Miragliotta is the s—test ref in UFC at this moment,” another commented. “Get him gone, it’s not just little mistakes but he’s doing major mistakes in numerous fights.”
“What happened at the end of the first round of Nelson vs. Frevola is one of many reasons as to why nobody takes MMA seriously. It’s a stain on the sport and it just continually makes the entire sport look like a joke,” a fan said. “Dan Miragliotta should be fired and there should be a massive reform in all state commissions regarding MMA judging and refereeing. What an atrocity.”
It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances for all involved, but Nelson improves to 17-6-1 for his career after landing 92-of-170 total strikes with a pair of takedowns and 41 head shots. The Canadian was a -125 favorite to win going into the fight.
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Oct 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the MMA section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
