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Maycee Barber Says She Won’t Accept Mark Smith Officiating After UFC 323 Foul Dispute

Her stance follows a UFC 323 sequence in which an illegal upkick was downplayed as a glancing blow and left without a penalty.

Overview

  • Barber says she does not feel safe with Mark Smith as referee and does not want him assigned to her future bouts.
  • During her win over Karine Silva, an illegal upkick visibly wobbled Barber, yet Smith characterized it as minor and neither took a point nor restored position.
  • Barber recalls confusion when Smith told her to stop, briefly thinking she had committed a foul as she tried to recover.
  • Event commentators criticized the handling of the foul after replays showed the kick landed clean, and Barber also noted a separate end‑of‑round timing error.
  • Barber’s unanimous‑decision victory stands after a 21‑month layoff, and reporting highlights prior controversies involving Smith in 2025 with no official response yet from regulators.