During UFC 324 on Saturday, fans were concerned after a viral video surfaced online of referee Mark Smith being carried backstage after working a fight earlier in the night.
UFC president Dana White clarified after the event that Smith injured his knee, resulting in a tear of his ACL.
“Nobody’s asked me about the ref blowing his ACL during the fight,” White said during the UFC 324 post-fight press conference, per Damon Martin of MMA Fighting. “[It was his] ACL. [Bruce] Buffer’s the only one I’ve seen blow an ACL that wasn’t fighting.”
Before being carried away, the last fight Smith refereed was the middleweight bout between Ateba Gautier and Andrey Pulyaev.
Below is the viral video of Mark Smith being carried out of the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“Blew his ACL. I don’t know what the time was, but they had to carry him out of there,” Dana White said.
Smith posted a positive affirmation message on his Instagram after being helped backstage. However, he didn’t address the injury directly. He’s one of the most active referees. His injury is likely to sideline him for a large part of 2026.
UFC Referee Mark Smith Blew his ACL in the Ateba Gautier vs Andrey Pulyaev Fight at UFC 324 Gaethje vs. Pimblett. Below is the video of where Smith seems to have gotten injured.
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