The Five Best Referees in MMA
#5: Josh Rosenthal
(Nick Diaz vs. Thomas Denny @ EliteXC: Unfinished Business, 7/26/08)
With his trademark half-smirk during faceoffs and soft-spoken vibe, Josh Rosenthal brings some much-needed positive energy to the mean-muggin’ atmosphere of MMA. And though his stoppage in the first Chael Sonnen/Paulo Filho fight at WEC 31 drew controversy — in the eyes of Sonnen, at least — he’s one of those guys you rarely hear about because he just does his job in a quiet, dependable sort of way. Could 2009 be Rosenthal’s breakout year?
#4: Mario Yamasaki
(Tito Ortiz vs. Chuck Liddell 2 @ UFC 66, 12/30/06)
Mario Yamasaki fell into the referee gig when a UFC trip to Brazil (where Yamasaki was born) highlighted their need for another ref in addition to Big John McCarthy. Since he was a lifelong martial arts enthusiast and jiu-jitsu expert, Yamasaki was a good fit. His biggest problem as a ref might be that he looks a little too much like Steve Mazzagatti, and that can be a career-killer. The difference is that Yamasaki gives fighters a chance to recover, but also knows when to stop a bout (despite maybe one or two notable exceptions, depending on who you ask), as he did when he mercifully ended the second Tito Ortiz-Chuck Liddell fight – a decision he was criticized for by Ortiz, and no one else.
#3: Yves Lavigne
(Marcus Davis vs. Paul Taylor @ UFC 75, 9/8/07)
Okay, so the Brown/Sell fiasco at UFC 96 was one of the worst reffing performances in MMA history; there’s no arguing that one. But bad calls are an extremely rare occurrence with Lavigne, who’s been handling business in the Octagon since UFC 58. In fact, the French-Canadian’s usually-razor-sharp judgment is also responsible for one of the best bits of MMA reffing — the Davis vs. Taylor scrap at UFC 75, where the Irish Hand Grenade was rocked by a kick, then took about a dozen unanswered blows from Taylor on the ground. Lavigne came within a ball-hair of stopping it, then backed off, allowing Davis to regain his composure and grind out an eventual win by armbar. He’s also the guy who saved Matt Serra from getting all his ribs broken in his rematch with GSP. So give the homme a break, aight?
#2: John McCarthy
(Fedor Emelianenko vs. Andrei Arlovski @ Affliction: Day of Reckoning, 1/24/09)
The former undisputed #1 baddest-ref-in-the-world drops to #2 for inactivity. Since “retiring” in December 2007, Big John has popped up for third-man duty at Strikeforce: Destruction last November and Affliction: Day of Reckoning in January. We know he’s been at it for 15 years now, and he has other things to deal with these days, but we’re bummed that we don’t get to see BJM on a regular basis anymore. Is it possible that McCarthy and the UFC can reconcile in time for UFC 100 in July? (For an old-school blast from the past, check out Big John’s first televised appearance — the Pat Smith vs. Scott Morris scrap at UFC 2. Eventually, he’d get better at the whole fight-stopping thing.)
#1. Herb Dean
(Frank Mir vs. Tim Sylvia @ UFC 48, 6/19/04)
With his laid back approach and ‘I got rolling papers if you got weed’ personal style, Herb Dean has been a standout referee on the MMA scene for years. He gets the top spot here because he doesn’t screw up often, doesn’t draw attention to himself, and has an established track record of doing right by the fighters’ safety, even if they don’t like it. Exhibit #1 for that claim is his stoppage of the Tim Sylvia-Frank Mir fight, in which he can be heard to exclaim ‘Oh, shit!’ when he sees Big Tim’s arm go. Despite Sylvia’s insistence that his arm was fine (it wasn’t, obviously), Dean handled the situation perfectly, telling him as nicely as he could that his arm was broken. The same is true of his stoppage in the second Ken Shamrock-Tito Ortiz bout. Shammy whined about it and the powers that be gave him another go with Ortiz, but don’t we all now wish we’d just taken Herb Dean’s word for it that Shamrock was done?
You can now follow the ever-changing referee Top 5 on CagePotato's Power Rankings page. What fun!
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Comments
RockerAdam Says:
First?
Krazy Kracker Says:
Seriously? Big John is the best bar-none. I've never seen even one fight where I questioned the stop when he was reffing. Yves is 5th, if not lower.
Scott Says:
Poor Steve "the mustache" Mazagatti...reading this top 5 list all alone with no love from Cage Potato...or mma fans...or fighters...maybe he can get some love elswhere, possibly Canada or France.
auzzy Says:
good list. I always like Herb Dean too. I thought i heard Joe Rogan say one time he used to fight at heavy weight and fought Joe Riggs. That would be a cool video find.
mackojr Says:
That is true. Dean did fight Joe Riggs. you can see the fight on mmalinker.com
mayhem420 Says:
Mario Yamasaki
An Italian first name and a Japanese last name but was born in Brazil
This guy gets my vote for #2 just on that alone. However no one beats Herb "pass the bong" Dean.
MGuerin Says:
What is the name of the worst referee in MMA. He was the ref for two fights at ShoXC - Elite Challenger Series on 10/10/08. He thought a flying knee to the body by Alexander Shlemenko was a groin shot and had to guess that it was not. Luckily he guessed right. Also during the Jason Guida fight, he stopped the fight for 2-3 minutes when Jason G lost his mouth guard and then couldnt find it! I saw the list of bad MMA ref's before, but he's never on it.
Herb Dean has papers and smoke.
Anonymous Says:
I hate how MMA (US) sites and (US Fans) are so closed minded, not once did you even mention any oversees refs like Yuji Shimada who have done a way better job then everyone on this list, cept BJM. Stop being US Posers and learn to love the SPORT, not just the UFC.
NateGetsIrate Says:
Herb Dean is #1? Maybe he's done ok recently, but i never liked his ref'ing due to too many early stoppages, which is something you'd never see with Big John. Dana needs to dig into his wallet and show the guy some love, cuz the list is a top 5 and not a top 10 for a reason.
Firecrap Says:
Going into the third round Tito had some vas rubbed on his shoulders, LOL This is all i watch for now.
Herb Dean Says:
@Anonymous
Dude, Shut the Fuck up and go suck Yuji's bong then if you love the guy so much
Krazy Kracker Says:
"oversees" eh? The worst reffing job in MMA History was achieved by the guy reffing Scott Smith vs David Terrell at UFC 59. Smith was defending a takedown from behind against the fence, the pace had stalemated and the ref comes in and says "break", David Terrell throws Scott to the ground and starts delivering punches from behind, the whole while Scott is looking up at the ref asking what he's doing allowing it to continue. Terrell sinks in a rear naked choke and Scott taps, then is furious at the inept ref and David for not complying.
NateGetsIrate Says:
Can I get a free t-shirt? Come on CP, Hepa brother out!
rokabee Says:
Nice, my question has been re-answered to the fullest extent.
Kankles Says:
Looping Arlovskies KO in mid flying knee attempt over and over again...way to funny
norremo Says:
The Jap refs were all on the Mob take... they would ref depending on where the money was for the mob.
I don't think that qualifies them as "good"
The US is the only place that regulates reffing appropriately, hence F Japan.
bump Says:
Congrats rockeradam. You are the 'first' to get internet aids.
Emo Sux Says:
Yves Lavigne was #1 in my book up until he Mazzagatti'd the living shit out of the Sell/Brown fight! Still, very consistent dude...
Spot on with Dean!!! They dont call him the "Herb" Dean for nothing!!!! Homeboy keeps the peace in the middle of a war like nobody's business!!!
Jay Smith Says:
I would love that fuckin job!
CanadianProduce Says:
Hmmm...I just watched the Diaz vs. Denny fight. Shamwow might actually be able to strike his way through Nicky. I dunno why I get so caught up in the Diaz bro hype. Big personality doesn't always mean big punching power. I'm officially unnofficially decidedly undecided.
Anonymous Says:
Herb Dean is far from the top 5 let alone #1. He's consistently so involved in fights that he can shape the way fights play out. Sometimes there are just little peppering shots and Herb will say something like "protect yourself or I'm going to stop it". Despite that the punches are causing no damage he forces fighters to take risks. I think he's probably the cause of more early stoppages than any other ref.
In my eyes Mario Yamasaki is far and away the best ref, followed by Yves Lavigne despite his recent screwup.
maxwell Says:
definitely agree with herb dean stopping fights too early, it was a bit of a shock when i saw mccarthy @ 2, and an even bigger one with dean @ 1
Goat Says:
Yves is the best.
He has the mentality that the fighters are made of iron and wood (like him) and that until he sees a detached limb, someone's liver or at least blood two gallons of blood, ain't no way he is gonna stop the fight.
Jugger Says:
I had Yves at number one, but the Brown/Sell fight knocked him back to 2nd. Unfortunately, there is no one to replace him at first, so first will remain vacant until he refs a couple more awesome fights like BigNog vs. Herring, and Davis vs. Taylor.
Koeikan Says:
How the fuck do you have BJM after Herb? You really fucked a dog on this one.
lightsoutlile Says:
My friends and I attended UFC in Columbus, OH last year. We met Herb Dean outside of a bar after the event, and he was so shit faced he barely knew where he was. He was still awesome and I completely agree with CP for making him #1......on being the drunkest ref I've ever met.
Kever Says:
Your on crack! Herb Dean is not better than Big John......Dumb asses!
Ozone Says:
For shame! Big John FTW
Imbecile Says:
I know it is unpopular after his last mistake, but I'm with the guys that still think Yves is the best. He has a very intelligent approach, and his one glaring mistake aside, he has done a fantastic job throughout his career.
As an aside - to show how much the MMA landscape has changed in the last two years - I can guarantee that 12 - 24 months ago you would have had a couple dozen internet fanboys taking over this argument with all the Yuji Shimada love, talking about how ignorant the American fans are. Now we only have one person, who was immediately shut up by the rest of the pack. Boy times have changed! People are even starting to realize that BJ Penn's nuts are not the best place to be found swinging. I never thought I would see the day.......
berzerk Says:
why weren't the pride referees considered??
LAS Says:
Yeah, you seem to have forgotten the total bumblefuckage that was Marquardt-Leites, which came to us courtesy of Herb Dean. If it hadn't been for Herb, would wouldn't be stuck with one of the shittiest title matchups since...Silva-Cote.
ent Says:
im super surprised to see herb dean as number 1. off the top of my head i cant think of any specific examples of fights he's fucked up but there have to be plenty bc when i think of herb dean i think, fuck, early stoppage.
Eat My Buns Says:
LMAO @ "OH SHIEEET!"
Rault Says:
Pride refs werent considered cause nobody knows who the fuck pride refs are. Also, Big John is without a doubt better than Herb Dean.
Kimbo is Crap Says:
"its fucken broken" hahahhahaha fuck yeah herb dean.
and i hate how people say the pete sell fight was called the biggest mistake ever but when a ref lets a dude take 12 unanswered elbows and the dude wins with an armbar after getting his shit back its the best ref job ever. i think after 3 unanswered elbows, the fight is done just like what kendal grove did last ufc. these two judgements contradict themselves.
thats basically telling me if pete threw a big fedor over hand right and knocked the dude out, yves would be 100% correct for not calling the fight early.
The Irish Wolfhound Says:
Lol i love Herb, he just seems so chilled about everything, he's like Bob Marley's clone in terms of personality.
SARS Says:
Herb and BJM should ref every fight from now on...
Shimada is also very good with the exception of Wand vs. Iron head..damn near let Fujita get killed in that one
Criminally Negligent Says:
I don't think the "late" stoppage in Brown v. Sell was as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Sell was still on his feet in a quasi defensive posture with his hands up. Hell, his hands were up higher than Coleman's were when Coleman fought Rua. The worst part about the Sell fight was that Lavigne did a half stop in the middle but then (wisely, i think) pulled back. A stoppage that is a little late is still better than a stoppage that comes way early.
My Toe Steel Toes Says:
Herb Dean at No. 1? Are you fucking retarded CagePotato? Fuck you CP, you just lost a loyal reader you fucking idiots!
Anonymous Says:
Herb is one of the best refs out there, he deserves this kind of recognition. Good for you Herbie!!!
diaz 420 Says:
bad list
I'd go..
4 Herb Dean
3 Josh Rosenthal
2 Yves Lavigne
1 John McCarthy
Yves is awesome dispite the fuck up at 96. Herb is good but has a big list of fuck ups
Anonymous Says:
herb dean sucks. big john is the best by such a huge margin. its just a fact. how about herb deducting points from marquardt for not really hitting thales behind the head. ive seen herb dean wave the fight off to the fans and everyone else before even letting the fighters know and letting the fighter keep punching while hes waving his arms in the air.
CJ Says:
Dean is the best. The fighter's safety is more important that seeing brutal finishes. His priorities are straight.
Word Says:
Herb "smokes the mean green" Dean is for sure the best ref as of today.
Anonymous Says:
Haha, Herb Dean rocks
Anonymous Says:
Herb Dean #1? Did you happen to catch the Ryan Ford Pete Spratt fight or did you see the early stand up in the Cro Cop Gonzaga fight he's nowhere near the best
The Mauler Says:
Remember UFC Japan. Big John stopped a match when Sakuraba shot in for a single leg, thinking he had been knocked out. 'WTF!' was not working for Sak when he protested, Big John stood firm. Luckily he overturned it once he viewed the video evidence, and Sakuraba was reinstated in the later rounds of the tourny.
Now that was one bad call
Anonymous Says:
You have to be kidding. Herb dean is the biggest screw up for a ref I have ever seen. He is always ready to stop the fight. Its a freaking joke
Anonymous Says:
I can't believe the article didn't mention Yves's roll in the Machida/Ortiz fight.
Anonymous Says:
At least the Sakuraba situation got fixed Herb Dean looked like a retard in the Ford Spratt fight Spratt was obviously hit with an illegal strike because of Dean's incompetence and he didn't know what to do that's a fail and really dude nobody remembers UFC Japan that's like when Big John was the only referee