diff --git a/pkg/controller/disruption/BUILD b/pkg/controller/disruption/BUILD
index 01658479321..b7f0600881c 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/disruption/BUILD
+++ b/pkg/controller/disruption/BUILD
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@ go_library(
         "//staging/src/k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes:go_default_library",
         "//staging/src/k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes/scheme:go_default_library",
         "//staging/src/k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes/typed/core/v1:go_default_library",
-        "//staging/src/k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes/typed/policy/v1beta1:go_default_library",
         "//staging/src/k8s.io/client-go/listers/apps/v1:go_default_library",
         "//staging/src/k8s.io/client-go/listers/core/v1:go_default_library",
         "//staging/src/k8s.io/client-go/listers/policy/v1beta1:go_default_library",
diff --git a/pkg/controller/disruption/disruption.go b/pkg/controller/disruption/disruption.go
index 6fe7d16b222..e1c5ec09f81 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/disruption/disruption.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/disruption/disruption.go
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	apps "k8s.io/api/apps/v1beta1"
-	"k8s.io/api/core/v1"
+	v1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	"k8s.io/api/extensions/v1beta1"
 	policy "k8s.io/api/policy/v1beta1"
 	apiequality "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/equality"
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ import (
 	clientset "k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes/scheme"
 	v1core "k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes/typed/core/v1"
-	policyclientset "k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes/typed/policy/v1beta1"
 	appsv1listers "k8s.io/client-go/listers/apps/v1"
 	corelisters "k8s.io/client-go/listers/core/v1"
 	policylisters "k8s.io/client-go/listers/policy/v1beta1"
@@ -53,8 +52,6 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/klog"
 )
 
-const statusUpdateRetries = 2
-
 // DeletionTimeout sets maximum time from the moment a pod is added to DisruptedPods in PDB.Status
 // to the time when the pod is expected to be seen by PDB controller as having been marked for deletion.
 // If the pod was not marked for deletion during that time it is assumed that it won't be deleted at
@@ -532,7 +529,13 @@ func (dc *DisruptionController) sync(key string) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	if err := dc.trySync(pdb); err != nil {
+	err = dc.trySync(pdb)
+	// If the reason for failure was a conflict, then allow this PDB update to be
+	// requeued without triggering the failSafe logic.
+	if errors.IsConflict(err) {
+		return err
+	}
+	if err != nil {
 		klog.Errorf("Failed to sync pdb %s/%s: %v", pdb.Namespace, pdb.Name, err)
 		return dc.failSafe(pdb)
 	}
@@ -773,29 +776,9 @@ func (dc *DisruptionController) updatePdbStatus(pdb *policy.PodDisruptionBudget,
 	return dc.getUpdater()(newPdb)
 }
 
-// refresh tries to re-GET the given PDB.  If there are any errors, it just
-// returns the old PDB.  Intended to be used in a retry loop where it runs a
-// bounded number of times.
-func refresh(pdbClient policyclientset.PodDisruptionBudgetInterface, pdb *policy.PodDisruptionBudget) *policy.PodDisruptionBudget {
-	newPdb, err := pdbClient.Get(pdb.Name, metav1.GetOptions{})
-	if err == nil {
-		return newPdb
-	}
-	return pdb
-
-}
-
 func (dc *DisruptionController) writePdbStatus(pdb *policy.PodDisruptionBudget) error {
-	pdbClient := dc.kubeClient.PolicyV1beta1().PodDisruptionBudgets(pdb.Namespace)
-	st := pdb.Status
-
-	var err error
-	for i, pdb := 0, pdb; i < statusUpdateRetries; i, pdb = i+1, refresh(pdbClient, pdb) {
-		pdb.Status = st
-		if _, err = pdbClient.UpdateStatus(pdb); err == nil {
-			break
-		}
-	}
-
+	// If this update fails, don't retry it. Allow the failure to get handled &
+	// retried in `processNextWorkItem()`.
+	_, err := dc.kubeClient.PolicyV1beta1().PodDisruptionBudgets(pdb.Namespace).UpdateStatus(pdb)
 	return err
 }