Referees

[INDYjon22]

So this has been something I have been wondering for awhile and it came up in discussion between me and GuyCompton a couple days ago. Referees are supposed to be the unbiased participants in mixed martial arts and all sports as a whole. Though they sometimes make mistakes they are there to preserve the integrity of the fight and the well being of the fighters. However, I have seen it more then once when Refs make god awful calls that effect that outcome, some calls that result in loses and other times even injure fighters.

I wanted to find the video of the ref from Herring/Lesnar because at the beginning of that fight he accidently pokes Heath Herring in the eye. Not a serious injury but it did affect him in the early moments. Then there was the infamous Lesnar/Mir1 fight. Lesnar was destroying Mir but then Steve Mazzagati stood them back up and took a point away. Lesnar went on to be submitted when he was just a few punches away from picking up his debut win.

So what I am asking is who do you think is the worst Ref in mma today. Also what moment just made you shake your head as if to say "What the fuck is the ref thinking?" My vote would have to go to Steve Mazzagati. The man just makes bad calls and stops fights much to early or in some cases to late. Once again look to Mir/Lesnar 1 where Lesnar was tapping but the Mazzagati didn't make Mir give up the lock for a few seconds after the tap. Lesnar could have been seriously injured and the one person who is suppose to be there to protect him in the cage failed to do his job right away. In my opinion Steve Mazzagati is the worst mma ref right now.

 

[jmt225]

Yeah, it's definitely Steve Mazzagati, without question.

The guy is so bad, that I actually feel sorry for him. Seriously, how somebody could be that bad at such an easy job is just pathetic, and I just cringe now every time this guy makes a mistake. It's unbelievable.

Another terrible one is the guy who reffed the Kimbo/James Thompson fight. He's a big bald headed dude whose name escapes me at the moment. But not only was he terrible in the Kimbo/Thompson fight, but I've seen this guy poke someone in the eye before a fight (Herring when he fought Lesnar), and fucking raise up the wrong hand when the winner was announced after the fight.

It's astonishing how dumb these two are. They make NBA refs look like the greatest officials to ever exist. They're that fucking bad.

That said, there are some great refs in the sport. John McCarthy, of course, is awesome and everybody loves him. I also like Herb Dean, and the dude who did the fight this past Wednesday between Madsen and Schaub. Sure, the grabbing the fence thing was questionable, but that guy rarely fucks up, and he always look to be having a great time out there reffing. I can dig someone like that.

 

[Fizzy]

Yea it's by far Mazzagati. The man fucks up calls left and right. It's pretty funny to be honest. Like JMT said how can someone be that bad at what is possibly the easiest job in the world? Thankfully we do have some good refs too. Big John is the best by far. Never in any sport has a ref been so loved and respected. The man helped make the rules for MMA and has his own fucking catchphrase. Herb Dean like JMT said is also good. Overall while we do have some shitty ones we have some good ones also.