MMA / MMA Judging / UFC

How do you become an MMA judge in the UFC?

by matmartial · Published February 14, 2020 · Updated May 19, 2020

How to become an MMA judge

How do you become an MMA judge? mma judge certification
How do you become an MMA Judge
How do you become a UFC Judge
How do I become an MMA Judge
How do I become a UFC Judge Looking on to the UFC octagon where to fighters are engaged in a clinch up against the cage as the referee looks intently on. Camera men can be seen filming all around the octagon. — **If an MMA fight ends without a clear winner, a panel of 3 judges decides the outcome of the fight.**

How do you become a judge in the UFC?

If you want to become a judge in the UFC, or any other MMA organization, you might be having a hard time figuring out exactly how to do that. In fact, there is not much information online about how to become an MMA judge. Not only that, but there is some questionable information out there too. You need to be careful before you spend your money.

Fortunately, we have been able to piece it together from different sources. For example, in what it takes to become an MMA Judge, journalist Vern Hee explains, “Mixed martial arts attracts fighters, but it also attracts those who want to be judges in the growing sport. Becoming a judge can be just as difficult as a fighter, it’s just a little bit less painful.”

How Much Do Judges Make in the UFC

Secrecy around becoming an MMA judge

The whole process to become a certified MMA judge seems to be shrouded in secrecy. Generally, I understand that obtaining a license in any professional industry should be difficult.

For example, consider other professional licenses. No one should just be handing out MD’s or CDL’s at the local mall or over the internet. We wouldn’t want just anyone performing surgery on us, or driving a tractor trailer down the highway. Again, not without demonstrating a measurable degree of competency.

Why should MMA judging be different?

judging cageside in the ufc
ufc judge requirements
ufc judge salary
mma judge certification
mma judge license — **The judges sit cageside at all MMA competitions**

Protectionism in MMA Judge licensing and certification

There comes a point where protectionism goes too far, and things can become insular really quickly. Insular rapidly tips towards parochial and falls over completely closed-off. Then, corruption takes hold of the game.

It should be be difficult to become an MMA judge. The health and safety of the fighters as well as the integrity of the sport depend on the rigorous competence of the officials. However, the current lack of transparency surrounding MMA judge certification and pay is unacceptable.

MMA fighters, coaches, and fans know what is at stake. We all understand how much literal blood, sweat, and tears go into just being able to make the walk through the belly of the arena and step foot inside the cage.

Forget about the fight. Just getting to the arena represents such an enormous investment on the part of the fighters and their teams. An MMA fight represents a life’s worth of investment on the part of the fighter. It is also represents an investment of the lives of those who support the fighters.

How Much Do Judges Make in the UFC

MMA Judge not watching the fight at UFC event

Unfortunately, it seems that too often the judges let us down. The judges too often let down the fighters, their teams, and the fans.

In just one recent example, the MMA judging at UFC 247, in Houston, Texas, came under sharp criticism.

At UFC 247, long-time UFC color commentator Joe Rogan called out one of the judges, live, on air, for “literally not watching” during an fight between Andrea Lee and Lauren Murphy on the under card, at UFC 247, in Houston, Texas.

Rogan called it an “insane” moment as they repeated pointed out that one of the judges was staring at the floor and not watching the fight. Rogan’s UFC co-commentator, former UFC Champion Dominick Cruz, also noticed that the judge wasn’t watching the fight.

You can listen to Rogan and Cruz here: UPDATE: since we first posted this article, this tweet has been deleted.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1226400380268859392

Dominick Cruz and Joe Rogan interview
post fight interview
champion
championship belt
bantam weight champion of the world
judge
mma
ufc
title fight — **Joe Rogan interviews former UFC Champ Dominick Cruz – before they became broadcast partners where neither has been shy about criticizing the judges in the UFC.**

I guess we shouldn’t be surprised in light of all the secrecy and protectionism surrounding MMA judging, even in the sports premier promotion, the UFC. Don’t forget that a consortium WME-IMG purchased the MMA giant in 2016 for $4,000,000,000.00.

How to Improve Judging in MMA

How Much Do Judges Make in the UFC

So what can be done? There seems to be longstanding consensus that it is somehow possible to improve the quality of the judging at MMA events. But how do we accomplish that?

One way to immediately improve the judging in the UFC is to make the pathway to becoming a professional licensed, and accredited, judge more transparent. An obvious corollary to that is to publish and make transparent an MMA judge pay scale.

MMA Judge Certification and Licensure

But first, let’s take a bird’s eye look over the current landscape of MMA judging qualification and certification:

International Sport Karate Association

In Vern Hee’s article What it Takes to Become an MMA Judge, he explains “The road to judging MMA fights starts at the amateur level. In Nevada, that starts with Ralph Cook, the Nevada State Director for the International Sport Karate Association. The association is the sanctioning body for all amateur MMA fights in Nevada, providing all the judges and officials.”

The International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) is one of the major international bodies regulating sport karate and kickboxing matches, and is based in the United States. It was established in 1985 as a response to legal and revenue issues that sent the Professional Karate Association (PKA) into decline.

ISKA is a sport karate, all styles kickboxing, and mixed martial arts (MMA) sanctioning body in the United States and over 50 countries worldwide. The US Open ISKA World Martial Arts Championships celebrated its 40th anniversary the July 4th weekend, 2013.

How do you become an MMA Judge
mma judge certification
How do you become a UFC Judge
How do I become an MMA Judge
How do I become a UFC Judge

How Much Do Judges Make in the UFC

ISKA’s Martial Arts World Championships are held yearly at the US Open of Martial Arts in Disney World, Orlando, Florida. More than 4,000 competitors and 10,000 spectators attend the two-day event each year.

The event closes with the Night of Champions, featuring the ISKA World Martial Arts Championships. The Night of Champions airs live on ESPN3, while a highlights show airs later on ESPN2.

The US Open is the longest continuously running martial arts event on ESPN. The US Open highlights continue to air throughout the year on CSI Sports networks, reaching approximately 85 million households.

UFC
judge
mma judge
tyrone woodley
steven wonderboy thompson
stephen wonderboy thompson
UFC Judge salary
UFC judge requirements — **What is wrong with the judging in this picture?**

MMA Judging Accreditation and Licensing

The website for the International Sport Karate Association (I.S.K.A.) Head Office, is headquartered in Las Vegas. Under Directors, the ISKA World President is listed as American, Cory Shafer.

Originally founded as the International Sport Karate Association when the birth of kickboxing in America grew out of “Full-Contact Karate,” ISKA is now also recognized globally as the International Sport Kickboxing Association. Since 1986 ISKA has set an unprecedented standard for professionalism and integrity while servings as the world’s most well recognized sanctioning and regulatory body for combat sports and competitive martial arts. ISKA maintains a continued commitment to training and certifying officials and updating rules and regulations while recognizing both worthy champions and world-rated contenders in more than twenty different types of martial arts and combat sports.

From Moscow’s Olympic Stadium to Queensland, Victoria, Australia; from Lausanne, Switzerland to Durban, South Africa; from the legendary Lumpini Stadium in Thailand to the Bellagio resort in Las Vegas, live ISKA events worldwide are very well attended and viewed by television audiences circling the globe. Whether it’s the US OPEN ISKA World Martial Arts Championships hosted annually in Disney World and aired on ESPN, or GLORY World Series elite professional kickboxing as seen on SPIKE TV, ISKA maintains its’ involvement in the industry’s cutting edge. Historically this includes STRIKEFORCE MMA as seen on CBS and SHOWTIME as well as K-1 USA, and Chuck Norris’ World Combat League.

The height that the ISKA has attained continues to reflect its basic commitment to credibility and uncompromising integrity. The sports’ future will rely on that commitment in cooperation with the industry’s many talented martial arts / combat sports athletes and the ever-growing foundation of dedicated fans around the world.

The ISKA

How Much Do Judges Make in the UFC

Since 1986 ISKA has set an unprecedented standard for professionalism and integrity while servings as the world’s most well recognized sanctioning and regulatory body for combat sports and competitive martial arts. ISKA maintains a continued commitment to training and certifying officials and updating rules and regulations while recognizing both worthy champions and world-rated contenders in more than twenty different types of martial arts and combat sports.

ISKA History

When legal problems caused the downfall of the PKA in 1985 and it ceased to operate as a sanctioning body, a group of major USA promoters and former PKA executives decided to create a new body. On 16 July 1986, the International Sport Karate Association was born. Its first directors were Mike Sawyer, Karyn Turner, Tony Thompson, John Worley and Scott Coker. Most of the major PKA promoters began sanctioning with ISKA and several joined its administration.

Leading the Change?

The website only mentions the UFC one time, and in an obscure, indirect, and off-handed manner: “Strikeforce rose to incredible heights, airing a successful television series on Showtime premium network until 2011 when the company was purchased by ZUFFA, the parent company of UFC.”

There is plenty of detail about Strikeforce, K1, Glory, and even Chuck Norris’ World Combat League. Only one instance of a mention of the UFC. The lack of transparency here leaves me somewhat bewildered.

In the end, the ISKA website is not at all helpful when if comes to trying to find out how to become a licensed MMA judge in the United States, but it does afford us some vantage point over the current political landscape in MMA.

How Much Do Judges Make in the UFC

How do you become an MMA Judge
mma judge certification
How do you become a UFC Judge
How do I become an MMA Judge
How do I become a UFC Judge
The Great Seal of the State of Nevada and the seal of the United States Anti-Doping Agency or USADA.

Nevada State Athletic Commission on becoming an MMA Judge

The Nevada State Athletic Commission website says that an “ideal candidate” to become an MMA judge “is a registered ISKA, KICK, UMMAF or ISCF MMA judge and/or is currently licensed with their state’s athletic commission and working regularly as a Professional MMA Judge.”

Here are the links if you want to look at the sources: NSAC Requirements and ISKA Website.

A Resume and 3 Letters of Reference

So how do you to apply to become an MMA judge? According to the NSAC website, if you are an ideal candidate, you should:

“Please submit a resume and 3 letters of reference by mail, fax or email to: Nevada State Athletic Commission 3300 W. Sahara Ave., Suite 450 Las Vegas, NV 89102.”

Other sanctioning organizations to become an MMA Judge

The Nevada State Athletic Commission requires you to get experience judging in amateur MMA first.

In order to do that, you will need to get certified by one of the following organizations first: USA Mixed Martial Arts Federation (UMMAF), International Sport Combat Federation (ISCF), or the International Sport Karate Association (ISKA).

You need a resume and three letters of reference in order to apply to become a licensed MMA judge.

UFC referee Big John McCarthy offers mma judging classes — **Former longtime UFC Referee John McCarthy offers MMA judging classes for a fee.** **“It needs to be clearly understood that passing the course does not entitle you to a license from any State Athletic Commission or any guarantee of work as a MMA referee or judge.”**

Big John McCarthy and Herb Dean: $800 – $1500

It needs to be clearly understood that passing the course does not entitle you to a license from any State Athletic Commission or any guarantee of work as a MMA referee or judge.

Apparently, there are classes you can take to put you on the path towards becoming an MMA judge.

The prominent classes being advertised and marketed are provided by company called COMMAND, run by veteran MMA referee and current Bellator commentator Big John McCarthy. Interestingly, the other company that offers classes related to becoming an MMA judge is run by veteran MMA referee Herb Dean.

A word of caution is merited here. Certification through these companies run by Big John or Herb Dean only means that you completed their courses. These classes do not provide you with a license to be an MMA judge anywhere, much less in the UFC.

**Unlikely: Robbie Lawler protests Herb Dean’s stoppage of the fight with Ben Askren. Robbie Lawler lost the fight due to submission by bulldog choke.** **Do you think he lost that fight?**

MMA Referee Herb Dean
UFC Ref Herb Dean
Judging in MMA — **MMA Referee Herb Dean has a company that offers MMA judging classes for a fee.**

Ask Herb and Big John?

How Much Do Judges Make in the UFC

Anyone who wants to become an MMA judge should contact their state-run athletic commission first. But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe you need to call Herb Dean and Big John McCarthy. It sounds like a good idea for a podcast, anyway.

There should be a clearer path for becoming an MMA judge. If you really want to do it, please don’t give up just because it is difficult.

Contact us for more information about becoming a judge in MMA

If you have questions, or would like more information about becoming an MMA judge in the UFC or any other MMA promotion, please contact us, and let us know how we can help. Please leave a comment below about MMA judging. We would love to know your thoughts about judging in the UFC.

You might also be interested in: How Much Do Judges Make in the UFC.

Please come back for updates on this article as we continue to investigating judging in the UFC and MMA.

Also, don’t forget to come back for other news and updates about the UFC, MMA, and Jiu-Jitsu. Here are my thoughts on The Best Grapplers in Jiu-Jitsu, my list with links to The Best Jiu-Jitsu Instruction Online and my UFC 247 Post-Fight Analysis. You might also like Should You Buy A Grappl ing Dummy For Jiu-Jitsu.