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In the fight game we all expect for our fighters to be at the top of their games. We expect them to deliver a consistent level of excitement. We expect them to show a consistent skill level, and we expect them to consistently put on good performances. Upwards mobility is always wanted as well, but the main thing is consistency. Why is it then that we don’t seem to expect the same out of those who play a vital part in the fights we watch, the referees?

We expect consistency in all facets of what we watch but for some reason it appears that the referees are receiving a free pass. That is something that needs to change, but there isn’t a thing that we can do about it. The only change in the competency level of the referees can come at the hands of the local Athletic Commissions and the referees themselves. But, we can highlight the areas where improvement is most needed to help the overall MMA product that we watch on a regular basis.

Perhaps the biggest and fastest growing problem among referees is rule enforcement. There is no level of consistency across the board on this issue. Not just from referee to referee but from fight to fight with individual referees as well. The rule infraction that is currently penalized the most would be strikes to the back of the head and that provides a good barometer for the lack consistency among the refs themselves. Some refs will warn and dock points for hitting to the back of the head, while others will dock points right away without any warning whatsoever and still others like Herb Dean will issue multiple warnings and never, ever take away a point for the rules infraction. Steve Mazzagatti has provided two great examples to work off of. He was the referee for the third meeting between Georges St. Pierre and Matt Hughes as well as the fight between Frank Mir and Brock Lesnar. In the first fight St. Pierre was consistently striking to the back of the head and he was warned multiple times but no points were ever deducted and no action against him was taken. Yet in the second fight Lesnar threw one strike to the back of Mir’s head and he was docked a point with no warning given whatsoever. There is a terrible inconsistency there, and it is something that needs to be addressed. Go for one or the other, either have it where a point is docked immediately or where warnings are given preceding a point deduction.

Next we have the point that has become most contentious this past week, when to stop a fight. In this case much like the first case I posited you have inconsistencies and variables across the board of refereeing. Some refs will step in and stop a fight the moment a fighter is stunned from a strike or caught in a nasty submission. While others won’t step in to stop a fight even when a man is clearly knocked out on his feet and another man is screaming in pain while his arm is being broken in an armbar. Once again possibly the best example of this would fall unto the head of Steve Mazzagatti. In the Frank Shamrock versus Phil Baroni fight that he refereed he stood there and watched as Shamrock teed off with shot after shot to a defenseless Baroni and he would not step in to stop the fight. Then this past week Houston Alexander goes down from one punch at the hands of James Irvin and Mazzagatti steps in to stop the fight immediately. Once again it is the lack of consistency that is most troubling in this case. It is a simple distinction to make, either you are looking out for the fighters safety at all times and will stop the fight the moment you think a fighter is in danger. Or, you are willing to give the hurt fighter every chance to recover and will take your time before stepping into declare a fight over.

I am not taking a stance one way or the other on the above two cases in regards to whether the right calls were made. That is a highly debatable point to which there is no clear cut answer. All I am asking for is a level of consistency in the calls being made. I may not agree with the final decision that is rendered in regards to a point deduction, but as long as that call is being made in a consistent fashion across the board I can live with the call. Refereeing is hard job, and I am not saying otherwise. But I don’t think a certain amount of consistency and professionalism is too much to ask for. We expect that from our fighters, as do the organizations and the referees themselves. So if that is the case then the referees should be held to the same standards. If they are and if their calls become more consistent across the board then the product we see will inevitably improve as a result and that is something that everyone should welcome.