Longtime MMA coach Ray Longo went after the sport’s referees, whom he called “scumbags” due to their inconsistencies.
MMA officiating has been at the forefront of fan and media discussion on social media as of late. It’s always been a talking point, but with controversial non-calls in fights like Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane, Vinicius Oliveira vs. Andre Fili, and Shara Magomedov vs. Michel Pereira, fans have been talking about referees, and specifically Herb Dean, more than ever before.
Of course, Dean is not the only referee in MMA, and at UFC Baku, a few other referees made some controverisal calls.
In the first fight of the night between Tahir Abdullayev and Jefferson Nascimento, referee Jim Perdios was criticized for a very early stoppage. Then, in the fight between Nazim Sadykhov and Matheus Camilo, referee Rich Mitchell also stopped the fight for what some felt was too early.
Longo, Sadykhov’s longtime coach at Longos’ MMA, was angry about the stoppage and let the referee hear it on the latest edition of his podcast.
Ray Longo Goes After ‘Scumbag’ Referees
Speaking on the “Anik & Florian Podcast,” where Longo is a frequent guest, Longo went on a fiery rant about the current state of MMA officiating.
“These guys can go (expletive) themselves at this point. Be consistent. That’s all anyone wants is consistency. There is 10 other referees who would’ve let that fight go on, and that’s the issue. They don’t understand that they are affecting these kids’ futures. I mean, they are (expletive) scumbags at the end of the day. Be consistent and just do your (expletive) job that you’re paid for. There is too many inconsistencies, and that’s where it goes south,” Longo said (via Bloody Elbow).
Veteran MMA coach Ray Longo and Jon Anik on the current state of refereeing in MMA. Late stoppages are becoming the norm — and it’s putting fighters’ health at serious risk.
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Longo believes that MMA officials need to know what they are signing up for when they take the job, as the fighters know the reprocussions, but it doesn’t feel like the officials do.
“I’m gonna apologize right away because I don’t wanna get too crazy. We’re in a sport that maybe shouldn’t be there. You’re gonna get hit in the head. Getting hit in the head once in your life is not for you. Dehydrating your internal organs over and over again is not good. There is nothing good about the sport. Everybody has to know what the repercussions are, and if you choose to do it, that’s the society we live in; you’re allowed to do it. They know what the repercussions are, and you have to have referees that understand that and are going to abide by that,” Longo said.
Will Anything Change With MMA Officiating?
With all the criticism directed towards MMA referees as of late, the question everyone wants to know is, will anything change?
It’s unlikely, because MMA referees are well protected from criticism from the athletic commissions that employ them. Unless something really egregious takes place, it feels like referees are simply never punished for doing a bad job.
Case in point with Dean, who continues to get reffing assignments on big UFC fight cards every single week despite making some very bad decisions as of late.
MMA reffing is a hard job, and not everyone can do it. But these refs have fighters’ careers in their hands, and they need to be better.
Ray Longo Trashes ‘Scumbag’ MMA Referees