Issue 058
January 2010
As the first British referee to oversee a contest in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Marc Goddard is recognized around the world as one of the leading officials to come out of Europe. The fervently dedicated referee has some ambitious goals in the sport as he aims to forge himself an irreproachable reputation throughout the world for his officiating.
Few people begin their martial arts career with the goal of becoming the third man in the cage, and Goddard was no exception to this rule as he began to carve out a decent reputation for himself as a fighter on the UK circuit. It was only a mishap in training which set him down the path to become a top-flight MMA referee.
“It came about completely by accident. I got injured [shortly before a fight], so the promoter said, ‘Why don’t you ref it?’ and I thought ‘Okay’ and I did it and the rest, as they say, is history. It all emanated from that day.”
For your average Joe, taking on the challenge of protecting and overseeing two highly athletic combatants in the heat of battle would be a tough night out; Goddard has a mindset which puts him a step ahead of the curve. “If I’m going to do something, I’m going to give it 100%. I don’t do anything at 99% in my life. I put the same attitude and depth of feeling and responsibility on myself from the very first fight to the fights I do now.”
From that fateful night at a local show in the UK, Goddard consistently put in the hard graft, tirelessly officiating on the UK scene for years until he finally progressed to his ultimate goal of becoming a referee for the UFC. As he explains, this road has not been without setbacks, as he was originally slated to make his officiating debut in April 2007 at UFC 70 in Manchester.
“I was selected as early as then, but there was a bit of a conflict of interests at the time. I was still competing; I had the resurgence of my fighting career, coming back at light heavyweight, getting some wins together and beating Ivan [Serati]. I was still toying with going down the fighting route. I got a phone call from the UK office saying, ‘Look, we don’t think it’s the right time for you to make your debut.’ Obviously, I was devastated at the time and thought, ‘Well, why?’”
After fighting back from the brink of defeat to hammer the rugged Italian into a bloody mess, making the choice to turn down such a promising athletic career would have been a difficult decision for the Midlands competitor to make. Goddard simply knew that he would always be a fighter at heart, and took the conscious decision to pursue his career as an official.
All the while, UFC officials were quietly watching his continuous contribution to the sport in the UK with a deep interest. When the time came to sign a British official, they came knocking on Goddard’s door. “They knew everything about me. They did their homework in terms of: who is the leading light?; who’s the guy who keeps coming up on everyone’s lips?; who’s the guy who gets recommended? It sort of went from there.”
There’s no escaping the glare of the cameras and Goddard admits that he would be lying if he said he did not feel under added pressure as an official for the biggest show on earth, but his practical approach to his work has stood him in good stead for many years. “I do the same thing fight in and fight out.” He explained, “I always tell myself, ‘protect the fighter and let the fight play out in front of me’ – and it hasn’t let me down yet. Whether it’s two first timers on an up-and-coming show, they receive the same level of respect and determination from me as I give when stepping into a live televised fight on the other side of the world for the UFC.”
Goddard is not only the first British referee to oversee a fight in the UFC, he was the first Englishman to be flown over and licensed as a referee in the USA. The invitation to travel to the United States to ply his trade must be seen as a tremendous compliment from his Zuffa colleagues. “It was a massive feeling of accomplishment,” Goddard confirmed. “I was very humbled by it, and tremendously excited.
“It’s a dream come true and I’m thrilled to bits to be working for the biggest and the best organization in the world in the UFC. They are taking me literally worldwide. I would just love to carry on doing what I’m doing. I never said that I was going to be the best 205lb fighter in the world, but I know that I can be regarded as the best referee in the world and that’s the mantle that I’m chasing.”
Marc Goddard spoke with Jim Page
