Issue 109

December 2013

He was one of the first men to referee a commission-sanctioned MMA bout in North America and here he tells FO how’s he helped pioneer the sport in his Canadian homeland

As important as his job is inside the Octagon, Yves Lavigne is much more than just the third man in the cage for some of the biggest MMA fights around the world – he is also a pioneer in the regulation and acceptance of the sport in Canada.

And when it comes to knowing how fighters think, few are better qualified than the unassuming Canuck who is a lifelong martial artist. The 52-year-old studied judo while growing up in Quebec, wrestled in school and found his way to karate, “where I had a natural ability,” he tells FO, “and took it up very seriously.” So seriously, in fact, that he was part of a full-contact Canadian national team that won a world championship in the early 1990s.

Lavigne may only have made his UFC refereeing debut in 2006, but prior to that he’d spent many years officiating kickboxing and boxing bouts in and around Montreal before ending up on the Quebec sports commission panel that legalized the sport. And in 1996, he served as a ref for an International Fighting Championships card that was one of

the first commission-sanctioned MMA events not just in the province, but

in the whole of North America (Mississippi).

When asked if it has been incredible to see the growth of mixed martial arts in the land of the maple leaf, following all of his personal efforts in the country, Lavigne states simply: “Canada is a big place so I’m not entirely sure about the whole country, but as far as Quebec is concerned, then that’s a yes.”

And for Lavigne there’s one night in particular that showed how popular the sport has become in his homeland. He says: “Up until 10 years ago there was very little MMA in Quebec. My job refereeing was done in front of hundreds of people, and now it’s done in front of thousands.

 “But, Rogers Centre, UFC 129, I think that says it all – 50,000 people. I remember stepping into the Octagon and thinking, ‘Holy cow!’ I was humbled, honored and proud to be just one little piece of that, and it was that night I realized how far we’d come.

“I was the first ref in Quebec and it’s not that long ago that people used to think MMA was just about two guys trying to kill each other, and they would literally take a step back if you told them you were somehow involved.” 

But as proud as he is of his country – and his fellow Canadians – he’s not a fan of its fighters, so to speak. He explains: “I am a professional and have to remain unbiased. I’m not friendly with any fighters. We stay at the same hotel when we travel but I try to avoid having contact with them. If I happen to see someone I will say hello and that’s about it. Could you imagine if I was sitting, eating dinner with Georges St Pierre and, let’s say, Carlos Condit walked past – and I was refereeing their fight the next day. How would that look?”

During his seven years in the UFC, Lavigne has become one of the brand’s most prominent referees, and has taken some criticism over the years. But he doesn’t mind any of that, as he explains: “It’s part of the job. I’m not there to sell a product. I’m there to apply the rules that are in place. If someone makes an articulate point and doesn’t just tell me my decisions suck, then I may take it into consideration. But we are not allowed to go public and defend our decisions. We have to keep out mouths shut.” 

Lavigne also feels that the misconception some people have that the sport’s rules are unified across the world really doesn’t help. He elaborates: “Sometimes we get criticized, or a judge gets criticized, but it depends on where we are at. We are refereeing under a different set of rules depending on where we are. That is something we might want to clear up.” 

And another thing Lavigne is keen to clarify is that he’ll never have the zeal his close friend ‘Big’ John McCarthy has in getting the action started. He jokes: “To be honest, I don’t have a catchy phrase; I’m not good with them. It would sound funny if I were to say, ‘Let’s get it on!’ in my French accent.

“The only time I really have to speak is when I do a main event or championship fight. I’m trying to do it as quick as I can. You don’t want to hear me talking; you want to see the fight. At the end of the day I’m just a ref.”

Lavigne may be just a ref, as he says, but it’s a job he wouldn’t swap for any other. He explains: “MMA is the only sport in the world where fans and people pay attention to the refs. When I got in to refereeing I did so because I was too old to fight and thought officiating could be my only contribution to the sport, and that I finally had a chance of being a part of something bigger than me. I would never have guessed I’d eventually travel all around the world with the UFC.”

THERE’S ONLY ONE YVES LAVIGNE...WELL ACTUALLY, THERE ARE TWO OF THEM

It’s a question that’s been doing the rounds on MMA internet forums for years: could an authoritative but unassuming French-Canadian referee and an investigative journalist, who’s published a series of best-selling crime books about the cut-throat world of North America’s Hells Angels, be the same person?

Let’s be honest, it’s a question that needed asking given that they’re both called Yves Lavigne and both live in Canada. And someone obviously thought they were when they published the Topps UFC trading cards because on the back of Lavigne’s it clearly states he’s a published author.

But when we asked Yves if he has a not-so secret alter ego, he said: “ Look, I used to have long hair, like the other Yves Lavigne, when I owned my first motorbike. And MMA fans are always asking me if I’m him. But I’d just like to clear it up: I’m definitely me, but not him!”