Yamasaki hasnt reffed a fight since the Valentina Shevchenko vs Priscila Cachoeira blowout in 2018
Its been three years since Mario Yamasakis widely criticized decision to let Valentina Shevchenko vs Priscila Cachoeira continue much longer than necessary After a hiatus from officiating the sport we may see the veteran referee back as soon as this year
Im waiting for the pandemic to be over so I start applying to the athletic commissions again Yamasaki told MMA Fighting
Ill go back to refereeing as soon as possible he added Maybe not in the UFC but Bellator PFL Shooto other promotions so I can be in the sport It will be up to the athletic commissions to accept me back and license me and start giving me fights to referee
Yamasaki has reffed countless UFC fights over the years but came under heavy fire for the Shevchenko Cachoeira fight which ended in a merciful second round rear naked choke after Shevchenko landed 95 significant strikes to just two for the Brazilian In a post fight statement Yamasaki memorably said he allowed Cachoeira to be a warrior and keep fighting
Dana White had a slightly different opinion and weve not seen Yamasaki ref a UFC fight since then He did ref bouts in PFL and regional MMA shows in Brazil but has not officiated throughout the COVID 19 pandemic
Yamasaki also revealed that he intends to enroll in an online judging course promoted by the California State Athletic Commission so he can get up to speed on changes to the rules and regulations of MMA
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