The referees have a very difficult job. Making sure that the athletes abide by the rules and more importantly, making sure the fighters are safe. As many people have off days at work, referees don't have the leisure of their off days going unnoticed, as it's someone's health on the line when they slip up.

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Under the microscope of the MMA community is the performance of officials in the Octagon with the fighters. While things usually go smoothly, atypical events are bound to happen from the pressure that comes with the job title. Good stoppages, bad calls, or just plain awkwardness, the UFC has seen it all with its referees.

10 Gray Maynard Vs Robert Emerson

"He is done, but so are you." Joe Rogan had a rather tense conversation with Gray Maynard after a unique stop to his bout when facing Rob Emerson. Gray picked Rob up and put him down hard - a little too hard. Maynard's head hit the canvas, and he put himself to sleep.

It seems as if Gray won though, as the slam forced Emerson to tap out. Rob tapped and the referee tended to him while Gray's body rolled off and laid there. Gray disputed this match being declared a no contest, but Joe backed up the referee's decision as he spoke to Maynard after the fight.

9 Erick Silva Vs Carlo Prater

Once again, Joe Rogan is ready and willing to speak his mind. Erick Silva kicked in the doors when he entered the UFC. With his first two fights only lasting roughly 70 seconds, things looked very bright for Silva. That is until Mario Yamasaki shocked the Rio de Janeiro crowd.

Erick blitzed Carlo with a right hand that flowed into a knee to the body perfectly. Prater was dropped and holding on to a single leg, but the subsequent blows caused Mario to step in. However, Mario didn't see Prater as a finished fighter, rather one that's been hit in the back of the head multiple times. Joe interviewed Mario and Erick, reprimanding the referee for what was largely considered a poor decision.

8 Pete Sell Vs Nate Quarry I

Nate Quarry took on Pete Sell in a fight that ended in controversy and discomfort. The fight was essentially over right as it started, as it only went 42 seconds.

Nate dropped Pete with a quick punch and dove on the injured fighter quickly. Referee Cecil Peoples followed suit and also jumped on the fighters. Cecil didn't give Sells a chance to recover and stopped the fight prematurely. Not only that, but Cecil Peoples awkwardly laid on the two fighters for about 20 seconds.

7 James Krause Vs Bobby Green

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Two names that aged well are James Krause and Bobby Green. Two fantastic fighters that have admirably stepped up to bat on short notice. It's not very well known that these two have met in the Octagon before.

This meeting didn't give a definitive answer, however. Two of Bobby's kicks hit the cup of Krause, resulting in a point deduction. Shortly after the deduction, a kick landed on what seemed to be the beltline of James. It's up for debate on if the kick hit the cup or not, but the reaction wasn't one of a liver kick. Krause went down, and John McCarthy stopped the fight.

John informed Green that he was the winner, and this surprised many. The referee claimed that the kick was clean and that James didn't want to continue the fight. Although James has built a career out of heart and toughness, John McCarthy thought otherwise that night.

6 Anthony Johnson Vs Kevin Burns

It's incredible that out of all the heavy-hitters that Anthony Johnson has faced in his career, he's only suffered one loss by KO/TKO. This sole loss is as controversial as it gets though, as it's not what the records claim it is.

In real-time, it looked as if a jab uppercut combination landed and Johnson went down. Replays showed that the first strike was actually a finger directly into Anthony's eye. This sent Johnson down to the mat, writhing in pain. Referee Steve Mazzagatti seemed confused. Nonetheless, he saw it as a TKO favoring Kevin. Johnson received surgery and won the rematch, but the sore eye left an eyesore on the record.

5 Jon Jones Vs Matt Hamill

The only loss on the fantastic record of Jon Jones is at the hands of Steve Mazzagatti regardless of the records saying "Matt Hamill". Jones fought his fight and dominated Matt for the entire first round.

When mount position was gained, Jones was inclined to throw elbow strikes. Jon would change the angle on these strikes to penetrate Hamill's guard. Then, largely known as the dumbest rule in MMA, the 12-6 elbow landed. Many thought the fight was stopped from damage, but it was the technique that saw Hamill be the first and only to 'defeat' Jon Jones.

4 Merab Dvalishvili Vs Ricky Simon

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A head-scratcher for certain. Merab has a grappling-heavy attack that he uses to drown opponents. When fighting Ricky, he didn't stray from this attack. Unfortunately, his wrestling was his downfall in the weirdest of ways.

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A third-round takedown attempt saw Merab hit his head on the mat, rendering him unconscious. Simon rolled Dvalishvili over and secured a mounted guillotine choke. Merab fought it until the end of the round but was slow to get up or respond. Simon claimed that his opponent was out and the record books side with him. Although this fight went all 15 minutes, the officials called it as a technical submission win for Ricky.

3 Robbie Lawler Vs Ben Askren

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The long-awaited UFC debut of Ben Askren had everyone eager for this matchup. The fan-favorite, Robbie Lawler, did his best to upset the promotional newcomer - he actually did a pretty good job too.

Robbie almost took Ben out with a slam and punches in the opening minute of the fight. Askren has wrestling skills and a wrestling mentality, so he's a very tough opponent. Surviving the slam, Askren would get to his wrestling ways. Avoiding the slam this time, Ben sunk in a very tight bulldog choke that caused Lawler's arm to go limp. Herb Dean stopped the fight only to be met with the protest of Robbie, claiming that he wasn't unconscious. The peculiar drop of the arm still has this stoppage up for debate.

2 Drew Dober Vs Leandro Silva

Possibly the worst stoppage in MMA history in terms of grappling competency, Drew Dober lost to Leandro Silva by defending the guillotine choke properly. In a grappling scramble, Silva grabbed the neck and pulled guard for the choke. Dober passed to the safe side and ended up on top.

Referee Eduardo Herdy checked to see if Dober was still mobile. As Drew popped his head out from the choke, Herdy stopped the fight and ruled it a submission victory for Leandro. Nothing about the position was a tell that Dober tapped or was out cold which made it easy for Dober's loss to be overturned.

1 Ion Cuțelaba Vs Magomed Ankalaev

Ion Cuțelaba might be a little too good at playing possum. In the first fight against Magomed Ankalaev, fans got to see a very intense face-off and an even more intense 39 seconds of action. While the 39 seconds was very exciting, things were still anticlimactic due to one of the weirdest stoppages in MMA history.

Magomed was throwing heat for sure, but nothing really seemed to land. Ion did try to bait his adversary into a firefight by acting like he was hurt. Theatrical wobbles and stumbles enticed not only Ankalaev to spam head kicks and looping shots, but it also enticed the referee to stop a fight that was just getting started.