UFC commentator Joe Rogan reveals the Top 3 best referees of all time in mixed martial arts
Follow Us
Joe Rogan names his best referees in mixed martial arts
Very few people have been around the sport of mixed martial arts than UFC commentator Joe Rogan. The popular American comedian has an ardent love for the sport of mixed martial arts which resulted in him being with the Ultimate Fighting Championship for more than two decades.
Very few jobs in MMA often receive as much scrutiny as refereeing. It takes skills and years of experience to be a good referee and MMA connoisseur Joe Rogan realizes that. The outcome of the fighter’s hard work lies in the hands of a referee which adds a lot of pressure to their work. However, over the years, we’ve seen some amazing moments of refereeing in the UFC.
Very recently, Israel Adesanya was dethroned as the champion of the middleweight division by Alex Pereira and referee Marc Goddard was there in the octagon to prevent things from getting ugly for the former champion. Rogan on his popular podcast, reacting to that fight at UFC 281, spoke about Marc Goddard’s amazing job.
“It’s a subjective call and Marc Goddard is one of the very best in the world. He’s top two or three. He might be No. 2. I think Herb Dean’s No. 1 and Big John McCarthy doesn’t ref anymore, he was always in that same spot,” said Rogan appreciating the referee’s work at UFC 281. Herb Dean is one of the most popular referees in the sport and has been refereeing for almost two decades now.
Joe Rogan reveals why refereeing is tougher than judging a fight
Rogan is always down to talk about mixed martial arts on his popular podcast. The UFC commentator had referee Mark smith on his podcast in episode #1605. During the episode, the two discussed how intricacies of calling stoppage during a submission attempt. In the conversation, Rogan said refereeing is one of the most difficult jobs.
“Judging is kinda hard, but they can hide. Like, you’re on TV. You’re right there. If it happens, and if it’s you that makes a bad call, then all the hate comes your way,” said the host to Mark Smith. He then went on to shower praise on Smith for his “excellent” work in his field.
The two also discussed the infamous moment where referee Herb Dean stopped the fight after Tim Sylvia’s arm was broken by Frank Mir back in 2004. It is never easy being the referee especially when it comes to tricky stoppages. There is rarely an event when fans don’t critique the referee’s work.
Stay Updated!
Prateek Athanur
(2960 Articles Published)