Issue 109
December 2013
Veteran UFC referee Marc Goddard brings fight fans the ref’s side of the story
How big a referee is has no relevance to the weight class they’ve been chosen to officiate
Just like fighters of differing weight classes, MMA referees also come in all shapes and sizes. And a question that’s cropped up a lot lately, among fans and some high-profile personalities, is this: is there any official line or ruling on how big a referee has to be dependent on the weight category of fighters they’ve been selected to oversee? Well, the official answer is: no.
Yet it’s a fair point and a question well worth raising. But then again, when you really think about it, does size matter? Personally, I don’t think it does and I honestly believe that people should be focusing more on a referee’s competency.
Allow me to explain. One may question, and rightly so, whether a referee weighing just 170lb, say, has the physical presence to take charge of a contest between two heavyweights who by fight time might have bulked up to their more natural ‘super heavyweight’ size. It’s a very salient question, especially when that could mean him having to throw himself in the middle of 600lb of muscle if a fighter is knocked unconscious and unable to protect himself.
But let’s just go back to my point about a referee’s competency being the most important factor when he is called upon to make that split-second call. From an aesthetic point of view it may look a little disjointed if the third man stands somewhere south of six feet tall while his charges tower above him, but an experienced official will know exactly where to place himself during a fight. And I don’t know of one referee who wouldn’t throw himself in the firing line to protect a stricken combatant from unnecessary punishment when called upon.
To be honest, this is actually quite a bug bear of mine because I have often witnessed physically large referees make a complete hash of bouts between fighters much smaller than them. This again goes back to my point about the experience and knowledge a referee has being far more critical than size. I would much rather have a competent 170lb referee oversee a fight than an incompetent 270lb one who may, when the time comes, allow a fight to go on longer than it should due to bad placement.
I myself stand six-foot-three tall and weigh 235lb, but I pride myself far more on understanding how fights might develop and being able to place myself in exactly the right position I need to be in at all times. Yet despite my size I have to be quick and nimble because some heavyweights can cover a lot of ground very quickly, and that’s one train you don’t want to get in front of!
Plus, a lot of viewers tend to forget that I also have to be mindful of my position because I don’t want to get in front of cameramen and I don’t want to appear as though I’m smothering the action while getting the right angle for applied submission holds.
But staying with the nimble aspect for a second, we can actually flip this on its head and look at the agility and movement required of a referee who’s handling fighters much smaller than they are. The fighters in the 125lb flyweight class move at astonishing speed and the ground covered in a 25-minute title fight can be far more than one would think.
But, again, this just reinforces my point about a referee’s experience and competency being far more important when placing himself correctly in the cage. Because it is these two factors that will ultimately earn an official the respect, trust and confidence of all those who surround him.
