diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.h b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.h
index ea7aea044603fa8c276e84843492c1cda4f98a3f..0bd9d17ff9744a04eb456e43432cc47352349edf 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.h
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.h
@@ -2373,23 +2373,9 @@ i915_gem_request_reference(struct drm_i915_gem_request *req)
 static inline void
 i915_gem_request_unreference(struct drm_i915_gem_request *req)
 {
-	WARN_ON(!mutex_is_locked(&req->engine->dev->struct_mutex));
 	kref_put(&req->ref, i915_gem_request_free);
 }
 
-static inline void
-i915_gem_request_unreference__unlocked(struct drm_i915_gem_request *req)
-{
-	struct drm_device *dev;
-
-	if (!req)
-		return;
-
-	dev = req->engine->dev;
-	if (kref_put_mutex(&req->ref, i915_gem_request_free, &dev->struct_mutex))
-		mutex_unlock(&dev->struct_mutex);
-}
-
 static inline void i915_gem_request_assign(struct drm_i915_gem_request **pdst,
 					   struct drm_i915_gem_request *src)
 {
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem.c
index 5c36577335c35863b2cd878be238a7e6aee93464..e9bf45a3ffa2bff4e2b5104f7ea65e1f70712a58 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem.c
@@ -1413,6 +1413,13 @@ static void i915_gem_request_retire(struct drm_i915_gem_request *request)
 	list_del_init(&request->list);
 	i915_gem_request_remove_from_client(request);
 
+	if (request->ctx) {
+		if (i915.enable_execlists)
+			intel_lr_context_unpin(request->ctx, request->engine);
+
+		i915_gem_context_unreference(request->ctx);
+	}
+
 	i915_gem_request_unreference(request);
 }
 
@@ -2716,18 +2723,6 @@ void i915_gem_request_free(struct kref *req_ref)
 {
 	struct drm_i915_gem_request *req = container_of(req_ref,
 						 typeof(*req), ref);
-	struct intel_context *ctx = req->ctx;
-
-	if (req->file_priv)
-		i915_gem_request_remove_from_client(req);
-
-	if (ctx) {
-		if (i915.enable_execlists)
-			intel_lr_context_unpin(ctx, req->engine);
-
-		i915_gem_context_unreference(ctx);
-	}
-
 	kmem_cache_free(req->i915->requests, req);
 }
 
@@ -3176,7 +3171,7 @@ i915_gem_wait_ioctl(struct drm_device *dev, void *data, struct drm_file *file)
 			ret = __i915_wait_request(req[i], true,
 						  args->timeout_ns > 0 ? &args->timeout_ns : NULL,
 						  to_rps_client(file));
-		i915_gem_request_unreference__unlocked(req[i]);
+		i915_gem_request_unreference(req[i]);
 	}
 	return ret;
 
@@ -4202,7 +4197,7 @@ i915_gem_ring_throttle(struct drm_device *dev, struct drm_file *file)
 	if (ret == 0)
 		queue_delayed_work(dev_priv->wq, &dev_priv->mm.retire_work, 0);
 
-	i915_gem_request_unreference__unlocked(target);
+	i915_gem_request_unreference(target);
 
 	return ret;
 }
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_display.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_display.c
index b4c24e77e8a22c6bcf7d6a23c03ead80d11be06a..2f36414702fe8cedbb0da8fe3a4349f44a0de40d 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_display.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_display.c
@@ -11400,7 +11400,7 @@ static void intel_mmio_flip_work_func(struct work_struct *work)
 		WARN_ON(__i915_wait_request(mmio_flip->req,
 					    false, NULL,
 					    &mmio_flip->i915->rps.mmioflips));
-		i915_gem_request_unreference__unlocked(mmio_flip->req);
+		i915_gem_request_unreference(mmio_flip->req);
 	}
 
 	/* For framebuffer backed by dmabuf, wait for fence */
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_pm.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_pm.c
index 695a464a5e64fd5cc42c4c12e1e88844ae8a375e..2422ac38ce5d6ea46e19bf1081109d187d90739c 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_pm.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_pm.c
@@ -7385,7 +7385,7 @@ static void __intel_rps_boost_work(struct work_struct *work)
 		gen6_rps_boost(to_i915(req->engine->dev), NULL,
 			       req->emitted_jiffies);
 
-	i915_gem_request_unreference__unlocked(req);
+	i915_gem_request_unreference(req);
 	kfree(boost);
 }