VIDEO | Referee Keith Peterson Takes A Punch At UFC Vegas 48
Veteran referee Keith Peterson was on the receiving end of a punch at UFC Vegas 48.
Peterson was the man in the middle when Chas Skelly squared off against Mark Striegl on the undercard of Johnny Walker vs. Jamahal Hill.
In round two, Skelly worked his way to Striegl’s back and was hammering away with nasty ground strikes. Peterson moved in to stop the fight but while doing so was cracked by Skelly who was throwing bombs.
Keith Peterson Has History With Dominick Cruz
One man who was perhaps happy to see Peterson take a punch is Dominick Cruz, who was part of the commentary team at UFC Vegas 48.
Peterson, a quiet and unassuming character, is perhaps best known for finding himself in the firing line of Cruz in the aftermath of UFC 249.
The former bantamweight champion suffered a second-round TKO defeat at the hands of Henry Cejudo back in May 2020. Post-fight Cruz went off on Peterson for what he believed was a premature stoppage. ‘The Dominator’ went as far as suggesting that Peterson was drunk on the job.
“That was an early stoppage, 100 percent – I’m positive of it,” Cruz said in the aftermath of his loss to Cejudo. “I wish there was a way to keep these refs a little more responsible sometimes. The guy smelled like alcohol and cigarettes, so who knows what he was doing. Definitely (he did). I wish they drug tested them.”
“I know Herb Dean is good. He’s one of the best refs. I immediately when I saw that ref I was like, ‘Man, is there a way to veto a ref and get a new one?’ I wonder that.”
Did you spot Keith Peterson eating a punch on the UFC Vegas 48 broadcast?
