How much referees are paid for every UFC fight?

<strong>How much referees are paid for every UFC fight?</strong>

Mark Smith and Herb Dean (Image Courtesy: Middleasy)

UFC Referees have a very crucial role when it comes to combat sports and MMA is no different. Referees are responsible for stopping the fights, fighters’ safety, and cheating. Their presence of mind is extremely important from saving fighters to get injured. 

During a fighting sequence, it is the referee who stops fighters from taking unnecessary hits after getting knocked out. Similarly, when there is a submission hold, it is the referee who calls to stop the move. Referees hold a lot of power during a fight and with great power comes great responsibility. One small mistake can change the whole outcome of the fight. 

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In the UFC, referees frequently get into controversies for doing their job. Oftentimes due to a bad refereeing mistake, fans criticize them and release their frustration on referees. For instance, Vyacheslav Kiselev created an absolute mess as a referee at UFC 267 for which he got trolled by fight fans. Even high-profile referees like Herb Dean got brutally trolled for his controversial stoppage at the main event of UFC Vegas 56.

Related: Was UFC’s ‘controversial’ referee Herb Dean an MMA fighter?

UFC referees’ salaries: Herb dean earns around $500K

Chris Tognoni and Herb Dean Image Courtesy MMA Fighting
Chris Tognoni and Herb Dean (Image Courtesy: MMA Fighting)

UFC is the biggest MMA promotion in the world and subsequently is the best platform for MMA referees to earn good money. The salary structure of UFC referees depends upon various things such as experience, popularity, etc. 

For example, big names such as Herb Dean, Paul McCarthy, Mark Smith, Chris Tognoni, etc get more money from others. There are different varieties of referees that are distinguished based on their experience. New refs don’t get the UFC contract from the start as they first have to prove their quality in fights.

RefereesBase Salary
Herb Dean$500,000
Mark Smith$380,000
Chris Tognoni$380,000
Jason Herzog$380,000
Keith Peterson
$380,000
Source: Totalsport
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They mostly officiate in preliminary fights to gain experience. They can make around $250 per fight. Female referees can make up to $500 in UFC and have a base salary of $30,000. Professional referees in the UFC with a decent period of experience get around $2,500 per fight with a base salary of $500,000.

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