Cathal Pendred thanks ref Marc Goddard for comeback win, 'TUF 19' redemption

Although referees are often criticized and rarely praised, Cathal Pendred made special mention of veteran official Marc Goddard following a shocking comeback win on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 46.

In a UFC Fight Pass-streamed bout at The O2 in Dublin, Pendred (14-2-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) overcame a first-round thrashing from fellow middleweight Mike King (5-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) to score a second-round victory.

The Irishman’s rear-naked-choke win prompted a massive celebration that continued for the rest of the card.

It also got UFC President Dana White’s attention. Like most media outlets (but unlike any of the actual judges, who all scored it 10-9), White thought the lopsided round should have resulted in 10-8 scorecards.

“It was one of the greatest comebacks (in UFC history),” White said after the event. “I scored that first round 10-8, too. And I also think that fight could have been stopped in the first round.”

It was a sentiment shared by many. King dropped Pendred, battered him with ground-and-pound, threatened with rear-naked-choke and armbar attempts, and then moved to back mount and rained down dozens of unanswered blows in that first round.

As Pendred’s face swelled and bled, referee Goddard kept a watchful eye on the beating, but he never stopped the fight. The former Cage Warriors champion was thankful.

“I was worried about it at one stage, but thankfully, you have one of the best referees – if not the best referee in the world – in there with me, Marc Goddard,” Pendred said. “He knew I was still in the fight. He could see I was still trying to defend myself and I was still trying to fight back. I’m very grateful that Marc Goddard gave me the opportunity to do that. It allowed me to be the ‘Fight of the Night.’ I changed my live tonight, getting that $50,000 (bonus check).”

The bonus-cinching performance also allowed Pendred to accomplish another goal: putting a less-than-successful experience on “The Ultimate Fighter 19? behind him. Pendred was one of the most accomplished fighters on the recent season of the UFC’s long-running reality series – and officials didn’t even bother finding a late-notice opponent for his elimination-round fight, in part, because they felt he deserved a spot on the cast, anyway.

But “TUF 19? was far from a success, and midway through the series’ run, White called it “without a doubt, the worst season” in the show’s history due to a lack of entertaining bouts.

Pendred advanced to the semifinal round, and his teammate, King, lost in the quarterfinals. They were then booked to fight at UFC Fight Night 46, in what was likely a last-chance opportunity for both.

“To be honest with you, I wanted to go out there and put on a performance and stop the guy because I’m coming off the back of a (‘TUF’) season where Dana wasn’t too impressed with the fights,” he said. “I wanted to change his mind about me, Mike and everyone on the show.”

“TUF 19? actually wrapped on a high note, and at the show’s official live finale on July 6, show winners Corey Anderson and Eddie Gordon both scored quick first-round TKO wins. Pendred’s remarkable win kept the good vibes coming.

“It was awesome,” White said. “I told these guys – not just him, but the guys from that ‘awesome’ season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ that fought last week or two weeks ago, whenever it was – I said, ‘You can turn the entire season around in one night.’ And they did. Every one of them that fought did.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 46, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.