Best MMA Referees and Their Stories
In this day and age, MMA referees are not just a third person inside the cage who are there to keep both parties safe. No, they have become popular figures and a part of a brand. And, let’s not forget that most of them deserve a lot of credit for the rapid rise of the sport.
With the UFC growing so fast, the faces of MMA referees have become more famous as well. We can see them just about every Saturday, but what do we actually know about them? What are their stories and how did they become referees and why? We assure you that some of the stories will leave you speechless!
Who are the best MMA/UFC referees in MMA?
1. Herb Dean
Herb Dean is the most famous and one of the best MMA referees. In fact, many fans, including Dana White, see Herb as the best. If you still don’t know whom we’re talking about, you may recall his famous 2-finger salute before every fight.
“Herb Dean is the best referee in the business,” — UFC President Dana White (Source)
Before he became a referee, Herb Dean was heavy into martial arts. In 1993, he was training in the same gym with Zane Frazier, who fought at UFC 1 event. This inspired Dean to start training MMA at the famous “Submission Factory Gym”. He had strong Karate and Judo skills, and would later earn a black belt in BJJ as well.
Dean made a decision to test his skills in MMA matches. This was a good decision since he had all-around skills. He made his successful MMA debut in 2001 with the victory over Randy Halmot. But, he would fight just four times in the next six years. His official MMA record stands for 2–3.
In 2007, Dean decided to retire, but not to go away from a sport. He became an MMA referee and would fall in love with the new role inside the cage. He used his knowledge from the gym and fighting to become a top referee.
Herb Dean is a busy man and rarely has enough time to focus on other activities. When he is not refereeing, he spends his time educating younger people who want to become referees.
2. Marc Goddard
Marc Goddard has emerged as one of the most respected MMA referees and his story is amazing. While the other referees had a moment to sit down and decide to give the refereeing job a try, Goddard wasn’t one of them. Believe it or not, he began refereeing by complete accident.
“When I am doing my job, all I want the fighters to know is they’re going to get a fair crack at the whip.” — UFC referee Marc Goddard (source)
Goddard has been into martial arts his entire life. He got into MMA training in the late 90s and would turn pro in 2002. In his career, he scored 7 wins, 6 losses, and 1 draw. But prior to one bout in 2004, he would suffer a serious injury in training that would end his career. But at the same time, this opened the doors for him to become an MMA referee.
During one MMA even Goddard was attending, the referees decided not to take part in the event just hours before the star. The promoters asked Goddard to step in and save the show for the fans. He was more than happy to take this new role, and he never looked back.
Goddard is also a BJJ black belt and he won the British No-Gi championship in 2014 and two gold medals in 2015.
3. Mark Smith
Mark Smith differs a lot from other referees because he doesn’t have a background in martial arts. He is one of the few people who were able to reach the pinnacle of refereeing without any history in martial arts. Although he is still a new face in the game, Smith has already proved he belongs at the top.
I know it’s hard to believe, but Mark Smith was an elite US military fighter pilot. Yes, you read that well. He is a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and an F-16 pilot.
Smith graduated from the US “Air Force Academy”, and he served as a fighter pilot for many years. Later in his career, he would join the famous acrobatic team called “Thunderbirds”. In fact, he was one of the first African Americans to reach that level in Aviation.
After retiring in 2006, Smith took on a new role as a White House Fellow. Logically, a man with this kind of remarkable resume set an eye on senior-command positions. Yet, his career was impeded by what he thinks was racial discrimination.
Luckily for us, Mark Smith is a massive martial arts fan. He decided to turn his life around and become an MMA referee. He began learning under the close eye of no other than Herb Dean. After two years, Smith began refereeing Bellator shows and it didn’t take long for him to start doing UFC shows. What a great story.
4. Josh Rosenthal
Rosenthal is the veteran referee and the guy with the wildest story on this list. And no, I will not say the “Crime” story! But before we go into his “El Patron” role which came straight out of the Narcos series, let’s look at his refereeing origins.
Around 1996, Rosenthal attended an MMA event to support his friend fighting. After seeing some bad calls and late stoppages, he did what every fan would do. He went backstage and asked the promoters to let him step in as a referee and show them how it’s done. I mean, this was hilarious. Can you imagine it today? To see a bad stoppage in the UFC event and going backstage asking Dana White to give you the referee uniform. But, as much as it sounds bizarre, these scenarios were normal back in the early days of the sport.
Rosenthal would go on to work for local shows before making a huge step by joining the WEC promotion in 2001. After establishing himself as a very reliable referee, he jumped into the UFC Octagon in 2008. To this day, he stands for one of the best referees in the business.
However, what about those “El Patron” days? In April 2012, federal agents raided Rosenthal Warehouse in Oakland, California. What they’ve discovered was shocking. Inside, the UFC referee had 1,356 marijuana plants. Apparently for self-use.
Jokes aside, he agreed to plead guilty in January 2013 for the possession of marijuana. So, he went to prison in August of the same year. The judge sentenced him to 37 months, but he got out after 18 months.
Luckily for him and us, he is back refereeing the biggest UFC bouts. Also, he spends most of his free time training and hunting.
5. Keith Peterson
Every time we hear John Anika say “No Nonsense Keith Peterson”, I feel safer in my own house. Unlike many MMA referees, Peterson is not a massive guy. In fact, he is, perhaps, the smallest MMA referee we have ever seen in UFC history. Yet, don’t mess around with “No Nonsense.” Inside the cage, he always focuses on keeping the fight fair and within the rules. He is all about high discipline, focus, and keeping it fair.
Also, Peterson is a very, very, dangerous man. He wrestled both in high school and college. Later, he shifted to Jiu-Jitsu after and went on to win the NAGA championship. Also, he won few titles in Muay Thai and amateur MMA. But, he never fought as a pro. He retired from the amateur competition in 2008 with a record of 4–3.
Shortly after retiring from fighting, he decided to stay in the sport as a referee. It didn’t take long for Peterson to show his talent and start working as a UFC referee. For many fans, he is the best in the business who rarely makes any mistakes.
On behalf of his actions inside the cage, Peterson was introduced into the New Jersey Martial Arts hall of fame.
6. Big John McCarthy
Hands down, Big John is the most famous referee in the history of the sport. He is also a man who deserves a lot of credit for MMA being safe and legal. Although he’s retired, you can’t compile any list about MMA referees without putting Big John in it.
Following the footsteps of his father, Big John became law enforcement. He served as a Los Angeles police officer from 1985 to 2007. This means that Big John was keeping both the streets and octagon in control at the same time. One thing is for sure, he saw a lot of violence in his career.
Big John started his martial art journey training BJJ at the Gracie Academy way back before MMA even existed. He went on to become really good at BJJ and even work as a coach. What fans often miss about him is that he actually wanted to fight in MMA as well. But a strange sequence of events led him to start refereeing MMA fights. He was the first-ever UFC referee who did it all to keep fighters safe during those wild days.
As a true pioneer, Big John played a big role in the foundation of the rules and making MMA legal in the US. In his career as a referee, he won many “referee of the year” awards and is often seen as the greatest of all time. In modern days, he has his own referee course, and if anyone can teach future referees how to perform the right way, it’s Big John. Today, he works as a Bellator color commentator and is a co-founder of the “weighing in” podcast.
7. Yves Lavigne
To be honest, If I’ve ever met Yvel Lavigne on the street, I would have thought he is the Geography teacher. I mean, how not? He is not a mountain of a man, neither he looks like a fighter. Still, Lavigne is a top referee who played a big role in helping the sport grow.
He got into martial arts at a very young age. As the years went by, he became skilled in wrestling and Judo. But he is best known for his achievements in karate. He was a member of the Canadian National Team that won the full contact championship in the 90s.
After retiring, Lavigne moved over to become a combat sports referee. This was way back in time when MMA has just started to rise. He worked on improving the regulations of MMA and help the sport become legal back in the early days. In fact, Lavigne was a member of the commission that legalized MMA in Quebec.
Shortly after, he would start working as a referee and quickly rise to the top level. Looking at his career, it seems like Lavigne has been around forever. He is one of those referees that have seen and experienced it all inside the cage.
Conclusion
You may love or hate them, but we all must respect the MMA referees. As presented above, they played a huge role outside the cage in the establishment of the sport. Also, on one misjudgment, they save hundreds of fighters from sustaining injuries. The reason why they’re not so popular is that for them, it's all about the safety of the fighters!
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