Issue 119

September 2014

New promtion’s high standards leave UFC vet third man feeling optimistic about the sport

Marc Goddard, Europe’s leading referee brings fight fans the ref’s side of the story

I was recently invited and booked to referee for a new promotion in Barcelona, Spain; but whenever I’m asked to officiate for new organizations I’ll always lay down a long list of stipulations before I’ll work for them. 

For instance, any new promotion, like the Ansgar Fighting League (AFL) in this case, must have a good level of medical cover – regularly taking fighters’ blood tests, as a minimum – and adhere to the Unified Rules, among other things, before I’ll lend my name as an official. 

As I say time and time again: you are your reputation, and it must be protected at all times. And that’s exactly why I’ve probably turned down more requests than I’ve accepted over the years.

Anyway, back to the AFL. All my requirements were met, and in some cases exceeded, and the organizers’ hospitality was second to none.

But more importantly, obviously, was the treatment of the fighters, particularly concerning their safety and well-being. The AFL spared no expense when it came to ensuring the highest standards were met.

And as someone who was officiating bouts in the UK in its formative years, it’s fair to say that the whole experience of refereeing all nine bouts on the AFL’s inaugural card, back in May, has left me feeling MMA’s future is looking much healthier.

CAMBODIAN CALAMITY

I’m always being asked if I have any interesting stories to tell about my times traveling the world as a referee; and if the truth be known, I have – but I’m keeping them all for my book when I retire.

OK, so maybe not all of them because I remember one time I was invited to referee in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. It was about a year ago and the show featured some Khmer boxers (think Thai boxing, but in Cambodia) against fighters from other codes.

I remember that very few of the locals had even heard of MMA, so when they saw their heroes being taken down and disposed of pretty quickly, it didn’t go down too well. 

Now, before I continue, what you have to take into account is that Cambodian fans are the loudest pound-for-pound I’ve heard anywhere in the world. Plus, the show was being televised on national TV.

Anyway, up steps Cambodia’s biggest star for the main event. He was fighting a jiu-jitsu black belt from South Africa. Needless to say the fight did not last very long after I had to stop the local fighter from taking further mounted punishment in the very first round. 

Well, he was not happy. The crowd was not happy. And the armed Cambodian military acting as security were not happy!

Amazingly, I was asked to restart the fight I’d just stopped, but, of course, there was no way on earth that was going to happen. And at one point it felt like I was being strong-armed, metaphorically, by everyone to get the bout started again. It was actually quite worrying.

In the end, I managed to get the South African promoter to explain to the crowd over the microphone that I was actually protecting their guy from a further beating because he was totally out of his depth in an MMA fight.

And thankfully the Cambodian fans finally saw sense and ended up thanking and cheering me

It was, however, a very ‘real’ moment and one that I will never forget.