The UFC 309 co-main event might have provided some much needed vindication for the former bantamweight champion and UFC commentator Dominick Cruz. The bout was refereed by Cruz’s ‘old friend’ Keith Peterson, who the 135-lb fighter had major issues with following his loss to Henry Cejudo in 2020. Cruz accused Peterson of stopping the fight too early, which was evident at his reaction to Peterson pulling Cejudo off of him.

Determined to protest further at the ‘early stoppage’, he even accused the American referee of ‘smelling like alcohol’, and subsequently called for him to be fired. To his favor, Keith Peterson’s showing at the Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler fight caused some raised eyebrows. Even UFC 309 saw fair few controversial decisions that didn’t go down well with the UFC world.

In the UFC 309 co-main event, he was accused of letting Michael Chandler get away with multiple shots to the head, and also let both men grab the fence multiple times. In addition, some pointed out he didn’t act on glove grabs and eye pokes during the fight.

Of course, referees making controversial decisions is nothing new, given how difficult the job is. Even the most well-regard referees like Herb Dean have bad days, and Peterson is no different. While Cruz may be upset at the referee for making what he considers a bad call, Cruz clearly was in trouble, having been dropped by a knee and wobbled by Cejudo.

Referees, it should be noted, aren’t really supposed to make decisions based upon how much time remains before the round ends. On the other hand, Peterson’s UFC 309 calls in the Oliveira-Chandler fight were a bit iffy and were rightly called out. It makes one wonder, however, at the level of MMA knowledge the referee has. In Keith Peterson’s case, it would be hard to make an argument against him, given his background. So, what legitimizes Peterson as an MMA referee? Let’s find out.

UFC 309’s Keith Peterson is a former MMA champion

Keith Peterson, unlike most referees, has a moniker, and a pretty good one at that. His nickname is ‘No Nonsense’, but it is unclear if he got it in his fighting days or after he became a referee. Speaking of his fighting days, the Houston native had four professional MMA fights between 2007 and 2008.

While he has a mixed record of 2-2 in the sport, he is a former champion. In fact, ‘No Nonsense’ won the ‘New Breed Fighters’ bantamweight title in his very first pro MMA fight. Peterson was reportedly a wrestler in high school, and later transitioned to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA.

After retiring as a fighter in 2008, Peterson still wanted to be involved in the sport, which he loved very much. He joined a referee program in New Jersey and soon started working in the local New Jersey circuit. He earned quite a reputation during his time in the local circuit and would go on to referee Bellator and UFC events, which he continues to do till today. What are your thoughts on Keith Peterson’s controversial UFC 309 calls? Let us know in the comments below.