AN MMA referee had to sprint over and help an unconscious fighter after he was brutally knocked out.

Amir Hossein took on Abdelkrim Zouad at UAE Warriors 62 in Abu Dhabi.

A referee assisting an injured MMA fighter in a cage.A ref had to sprint over and help an unconscious fighter after he was brutally knocked out

And the bout finished in the third round when Hossein unleashed a flurry of punches with his finishing right hand dropping Zouad.

Hossein managed to land just one blow while Zouad was on the floor as the quick-thinking ref ran over to end the fight.

It saved Zouad from taking any unnecessary damage – with Hossein improving to 4-1 in the cage.

But refs do not always get it right.

UFC boss criticised official Kerry Hatley after he allowed Jalin Turner to land a succession of unanswered blows against Bobby Green in December 2023.

Turner landed blows for

White called the stoppage: “One of the worst I’ve ever seen.”

He added: “The difference is we’ve had some refs say some dumb s*** in the past like, ‘Oh, I allowed her to be a warrior tonight,’ and goofy s*** like that.

“He knows that he made a mistake tonight and he does not feel good about it. So it’s unfortunate. Definitely a bad stoppage. Very bad.”

UFC legend Daniel Cormier – now a commentator – had a similar sentiment.

He called it: “One of the absolute worst stoppages in MMA history.”