Issue 071
January 2011
Each issue UFC referee Marc Goddard brings fight fans the ref’s side of the story
How can a referee discern between valid or invalid groin strikes and eye pokes? What’s the correct way fighters should respond to these?
Some bouts officiated by myself at UFC 120 in London, including the Michael Bisping vs Yoshihiro Akiyama fight, have led to much discussion. Two issues raised that I’d like to talk about involve foul strikes. First I’ll cover accidental strikes to the groin, and how both combatants react to these during a fight.
The ref has plenty to think about early in a bout, including his ‘placement’ – the ideal standpoint to officiate the contest from. A referee should also take note if a fighter favors inside leg kick techniques.
Due to the nature of inside leg kicks and their intended target area (the inner thigh, above the knee but below the groin) accidental fouls will and do occur. It’s even more likely when two fighters mirror each other’s chosen stance, orthodox or southpaw, and one or both fighters employ an offensive kicking strategy.
Usually fighters incorporating leg kicks into their game plans will attack their opponent’s lead leg with their own. When the kick is thrown, the target only needs to make a sudden small movement for it to be misplaced – perhaps landing on his groin. So it’s imperative that a referee, if at all possible, positions himself so he can see the target’s inside leg and make the correct decision should the struck fighter opt to gesture or call ‘foul’.
Experienced referees will testify that a fighter’s foot makes a distinctly different sound when it makes contact with a protective cup than it does on the inside thigh. This audible warning, along with a referee’s correct visual alignment, will give him the best possible opportunity to make the correct call should a possible groin strike arise. An attacking fighter is well within his rights to continue his assault until the referee calls otherwise, whether the strike landed was legal or indeed a foul blow as a fighter can not always tell if this was the case. Second, a similar issue I want to address is eye pokes. Unlike in boxing or Muay Thai for example, MMA fighters wear ‘fingerless’ gloves to facilitate grappling. A common issue is fingers and thumbs making contact with eyes when striking and/or defending. Again a referee needs keen sight, as quite often fighters on the receiving end of what they beleive to be an “eye poke” where actually struck with a legal
blow. The corner of an MMA glove is much less rounded, and smaller, than a boxing glove and can easily fit into the eye socket when a legal punch is thrown. It’s easy for the target to misconstrue this as a foul blow, and it draws further attention to the heightened awareness that referees have to employ during MMA contests. It’s not easy!
A final point worth highlighting: referees don’t want to stop the action every time there’s a minor discrepancy. Inadvertent or wayward shots are often dealt with by the fighters themselves. They recognize exactly what’s happened, taking a step back, making a quick readjustment, or blinking the eye in question. Their opponent coming back to the fray to touch gloves and continue fighting a few seconds later is common place. It’s not ‘missed by the referee’ or fighters ‘refereeing themselves’ as some observers claim: quite the opposite in fact. It’s the sign of an experienced referee, offering minimal intervention, and allowing the natural course of the bout to flow freely without needless breaks, ‘time outs’ or fuss. After all, no one tunes in to watch a ref!
ASK THE REF Q&A
Don’t know your DQs from your decisions? Each issue, Marc will answer your questions on the ‘Unified Rules’ used in MMA.
Q: I’m reffing an amateur show for the first time. What’s the best piece of advice you can give me?
Anon, via email
A: The Ref says: “Hi, The best piece of advice that I could give you would be to remain as calm as possible (easier said than done, I know!). The criteria is a simple one, let the fights play out in front of you and protect the fighters. Good luck.”
Q: Could a top knot like that belonging to TUF’s Jonathan Brookins be said to complicate the fight enough for him to be penalized? Can an opponent use a haircut to control the head – e.g. could you pull a man to his feet by his hair?
David Masters, via email
A: The Ref says: “Long hair should be at least tied back and secured so as not to cover the face should close quarter-grappling or a ground battle commence. A commission representative (where applicable) should see to this and ensure that there is no cause for concern or potential hazard. Hair pulling is a clearly defined foul and has no place in any sport, least of all mixed martial arts.”
GET IN TOUCH
If you have any questions about refereeing, rules or regulations that you would like Marc to answer, email them to: [email protected] with ‘REF’ in the subject header.
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