In Mixed Martial Arts, the referee becomes an integral part of the match in his keen attention to detail and in making the decision of when to call the fight. Sports enthusiasts may not realize the pressure that the fans can put on a referee when it comes to making difficult decisions in a fight and protecting the competitors. USA Today recently featured an article on Herb Dean, who many in the MMA industry feel is the “best in the business,” as homage to the struggles of MMA and UFC refs.

In 2004, Dean called a heavyweight bout between UFC fighters Tim Sylvia and Frank Mir. Despite the booing from the fans and the protests of Sylvia, Dean was able to recognize Sylvia’s broken arm before even the doctors who came to check him over.

“Big John” McCarthy entered the ring after hearing the commotion from the fans. “I went in the cage because everyone was complaining,” said McCarthy, according to USA Today. “I said, ‘What happened?’ {Dean} said, ‘His arm is broke, John.’ I said, ‘All right. You’re sure it’s broken?’ ‘I saw it and I heard it. It broke.”

While the doctor who looked at said that he didn’t think there was anything wrong with Sylvia’s arm, Dean insisted an X-ray be done. “Get it X-rayed,” said Dean. “It broke.” There were a number of protests when Dean called the match, having the physically tear the fighters away from each other. The crowd was outraged, and even Sylvia fought with Dean.

Sure enough, his arm was broken, and the referee had done what he was supposed to do – and that is to protect the fighter. Despite Sylvia’s protesting that he had not tapped out, a referee is there to prevent any unnecessary damage to the fighter, even if the fighter insists on staying in the ring. Sylvia told Dean later that he had hoped to knock Mir out with his other arm before the pain became too great to continue. There’s no telling what further damage he may have sustained if he had continued to fight with a broken arm.

McCarthy began to referee UFC fights in 1994, where he initially was permitted to stop a fight only if a competitor or his corner submitted. McCarthy tried to warn corners that the fighters were in danger so that the corner could pull the fighter out before there was any real. When this didn’t work, McCarthy petitioned to have the referee’s role in the match changed.

“I told the people that were in charge, ‘I’m not ever doing that again. You’re going to get somebody seriously hurt,” said McCarthy. “These people are too stupid to understand their guys need to get out of there. I said I need to have the power to stop the fight.”

The format was changed. Currently, if a referee determines that I fighter cannot “intelligently defend” himself, the fight can be stopped. The new rules have created a safer environment for the fighters, but put the referees under an enormous amount of pressure. For MMA fans, the referee never wins Miss Congeniality.

“Seventy percent of them {the fighters} say, whatever you do, don’t stop this fight too quick,” said referee Steve Mazzagatti.

Referees work on a commission basis, and are assigned to MMA cards. The refs required to watch every detail of a fight to determine whether a fighter can intelligently defend himself, which can be difficult in a situation where a submission or choke hold forces the fighter’s face down. On some occasions, a fighter must throw the ref a thumbs-up to indicate that he is still able to fight, despite sustaining multiple punches.

Many referees are on the receiving end of a punch while trying to protect a fighter. “I’ve been hit stopping fight before,” said Dean. “I’ve been kneed in the groin and punched. I’ve been kicked and whatnot by the unconscious fighter when he returned to consciousness, because the last thing he was doing was fighting. After a while, you develop some techniques to keep yourself from getting hurt.”

McCarthy added, “Everything you’re doing as a referee is making sure a fighter can come back another day and do it again.”