Ref Vyacheslav Kiselev Pulled from UFC 267 After Dos Santos-Saint-Denis Fight

UFC pulled referee Vyacheslav Kiselev from the remainder of the UFC 267 card following his performance in Elizeu dos Santos' unanimous decision over Benoit Saint-Denis.

Many were surprised to see the fight go the distance. Dos Santos finished with 149 significant strikes to 67 for Saint-Denis, and 96 of Dos Santos' major blows landed on the Frenchman's head.

In the second round, Kiselev could've brought things to a conclusion because Dos Santos was laying in a series of punches and knees with little resistance.

Saint-Denis then complained in the third round about an eye poke that was limiting his vision. Kiselev briefly evaluated the fighter but didn't call for a doctor and then allowed the fight to continue.

The criticism of Kiselev's officiating was almost universal.

ESPN's Brett Okamoto noted the Russian was scheduled as the referee for Magomed Ankalaev and Volkan Oezdemir's light heavyweight bout, the opener for the pay-per-view main card.