A referee got hit with a punch during a wild MMA match, and it was hard enough to knock him down and out for good

• A referee got hit with a rogue punch during a welterweight MMA fight Saturday.
• He received medical attention between rounds and was deemed in no fit state to continue.

A referee got hit with a punch during a wild MMA match, and it was hard enough to knock him down and out for good.

During a 10-bout Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) event Saturday, taking place at the EFC Performance Institute in Johannesburg, South Africa, welterweight rivals Ziko Makengele and Martin van Staden rallied the crowd in a title fight that topped the show.

Exchanging heavy slugs throughout the first round, one of Makengele's strikes — a left hook — clattered the referee Wickus Swart at full force, sending the officiator to the deck.

A statement from EFC said Swart received medical attention between rounds but was deemed "unfit to continue" and so a replacement referee, Bobby Karagiannidis, was brought in to oversee the rest of the fight.

The rogue punch that knocked ref Swart down can be watched right here:

—Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) April 9, 2022

Makengele went on to win the fight in a relatively comfortable manner.

He scored a knockdown with a thunderous right hand, and proceeded to hit van Staden with follow-up blows before replacement ref Karagianiddis separated the fighters to declare the bout over.

It was the first time van Staden had ever lost by knockout in a 32-fight career.

Makengele became the new champion, advancing his fledgling pro MMA record to four wins (four knockouts). He remains unbeaten.