How to become a professional MMA referee

Whilst MMA fighters usually take the glory when it comes to fights, we can all agree that MMA referees also play a huge part in keeping a fight fair and safe. Ironically, some referees have also made headlines for the wrong reasons over the years whereby they’ve made controversial decisions.

Regardless, it’s fair to say that being an MMA ref is a good gig to have and if it interests you then you can make a good career out of it, so long as you’re willing to put in work and above all else, fundamentally understand how MMA works from a ref’s perspective. Here, we shall outline a guide on how to become an MMA ref. Be warned, it’s a long road and isn’t easy – but if you’re determined enough then read on.

Take referee training courses

Both John McCarthy and Herb Dean have referee training courses that will put you through the basics of refereeing an MMA fight. These are crash courses that typically cost a few hundred dollars for a few days of material. Honestly, these are two of the best to ever do it – so it’s possibly worth the investment.

Even if you think you know everything about the rules of MMA, the reality is that you probably don’t. There are actually a lot of technicalities, formalities, and weird, uncommon rules that you may need to learn that can be picked up in these courses. Remember, it’s always much easier as an armchair fan compared to someone who does it for a living.

Aside from the aforementioned, you may be able to train on different courses if they’re available. Some people won’t be able to reach the likes of John McCarthy to learn from, so you may have to go to a local course instead. Whilst the knowledge may not be as precise – you will still probably learn something and it will probably cost less.

Get a state license

Whilst learning a crash course on MMA rules is ideal, it’s not really going to get your foot through the door and is purely based on knowledge rather than practicality. In other words, you can have all of the knowledge in the world – but without a license, this will be pointless.

This means that getting a license is vital to your MMA refereeing career as you cannot legally proceed without one. This is something that differs from state to state – and each country has different rules surrounding a referee’s license.

To get a license, you will need to directly contact your state’s athletic commission to get a license. Usually, this costs anywhere from $50-200 dollars depending on the state and you will have to pass some kind of formal test to get a license.

What’s worth mentioning is that some state departments can be notoriously slow or difficult to get hold of. This really depends on where you’re based as each commission is differently run. Just expect to do lots of chasing up and prepare to be frustrated. For something that could be simple, getting a state license can be quite a long, tedious process.

Start small and local

Like MMA fighters, you will need to start from the bottom and work your way up. You may be the best ref in the world but you will need to prove yourself and get a good reputation. To do this, the best thing you can do is try to contact the organizer of the event and try to get on the card. You may not even get paid for your debut if you need to prove yourself. Also, don’t expect to get paid much for your first MMA venture. Remember, at this point you’re effectively a nobody, so you’ll probably get paid like one too.

Another thing to note, you may referee an entire event without rest. That’s right, unlike the UFC – some smaller organizations use one or two refs for the entire night. This is to save on costs and sometimes these events last over five hours.

So, be prepared to put in the dirty work, to begin with. If you can get a consistent spot then it will all be worth it, where you can begin to look at consistent work with bigger promotions. In fairness, even getting on a small event in the first place isn’t easy, but to use it as a platform for bigger things is even harder.

Be consistent and make a name for yourself

As the saying goes, consistency breeds results. This is key to being a good referee, so make sure you try to get every call correct. This is impossible, but if you’re able to watch footage of yourself then it’s a good way to learn from your mistakes.

In short, treat this process like a serious job and don’t think you’re too good to try and improve on your refereeing skills. Like all skills in life, the more you train at something, the better you’ll become.

Lastly, you can also try to make a name for yourself by having a unique image. Although your priority should be on fighter safety and fairness, this is still something to consider. For instance, Mike Beltran has a very unique look, whilst Mario Yamasaki had his classic heart logo. Basically, in a world where most of the refs look the same, you should try to stand out and get recognized. Surprisingly, this tactic may gain you cult status which you can build a following from.

Nepotism exists on the MMA referee circuit

Without sounding too pessimistic, nepotism is alive and well on the MMA referee circuit, at least that’s according to internet rumors. There are plenty of forum posts about nepotism involving referees and sadly this is a part of life where MMA is no different.

Basically, some commissions will favor their friends and give jobs to the boys instead of those worthy of the job. In short, if there’s a friend of a promotion or state commission, there’s a good chance they’ll be given the job ahead of you. In this business, it seems it’s not what you know, but it’s who you know.

To counter this, there’s honestly not much you can do. You could try and befriend influential people, but this is easier said than done. Of course, this will differ from state to state and the internet is awash with exaggerated rumors anyway.

Do you need fighting experience to be an MMA referee?

A lot of the time, MMA refs do have a background in fighting which makes sense. For instance, UFC ref Marc Goddard was a professional MMA fighter in Britain and also holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Obviously, knowing a mixture of martial arts probably helps him make accurate calls when analyzing a fight.

However, this isn’t necessary. There are some groups that argue that having a background in a certain martial art can be a negative. For instance, if there’s a ref who loves boxing then they may break up grappling exchanges quicker because they don’t fully understand them. This can change the dynamic of a fight and potentially lose someone a victory.

In other words, you don’t need previous experience in MMA fighting to become an MMA ref. Realistically though, it probably helps. As mentioned in the previous section, there’s also the point of nepotism. If you move in MMA circles then you may meet the right people. If not, then it may appear quite alien to you.

Conclusion

Becoming an MMA ref is difficult and isn’t for everyone. The reason for this is it’s a notoriously tough industry to crack and there are not too many spare jobs going around. This means that to break the cycle, you need to be a fantastic ref.

Even still, this may not be enough, as you’ll probably need to know the right connections and also have good networking and communication skills to get your foot through the door. In summary, becoming a professional MMA ref is easier than becoming a professional MMA fighter, but it’s certainly not easy.