The roster of judges for the championship fight between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311, scheduled for the night of January 18-19, has been announced. Two judges from the Tsarukyan vs. Gamrot fight will officiate this bout.
Judges for Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan II:
Sal D’Amato
A highly experienced judge who has been working in the UFC since 2007. He judged the Tsarukyan vs. Gamrot fight and awarded the victory to the Polish fighter.
However, he is controversial in Russia due to his involvement in disputed decisions, such as the Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling fight and the Magomed Ankalaev vs. Jan Błachowicz fight.
Derek Cleary
He officiated the first fight between Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski. Notably, Cleary was the only judge to award the third round to Islam, despite Volkanovski's clear dominance.
Cleary is known for controversial decisions, such as awarding Aljamain Sterling the victory against Henry Cejudo in 2023.
Nevertheless, he has shown fairness in other bouts, such as Melsik Baghdasaryan vs. Tucker Lutz and Armen Petrosyan vs. Christian Duncan.
Ron McCarthy
He officiated Arman Tsarukyan's fight against Charles Oliveira and fairly awarded Tsarukyan the victory with a score of 29-28. However, in the Gamrot fight, he gave the win to the Polish fighter with a score of 48-47.
Referee in the Octagon
The referee for this fight is the legendary Herb Dean, widely regarded as one of the most experienced and respected referees in the MMA world.