I’m interested in becoming a ref. Has anyone gotten licensed as an MMA or boxing referee?

[jeff7b9]

Title says it all. Sorry if this is the wrong place but I didn’t see a clear forum fit and nothing popped up in a forum search.


Does anyone have personal experience getting licensed? I have done some preliminary online research but haven’t yet found all the info I need.

I am a long time fight fan, 30+ years watching boxing, fairly hardcore MMA fan for 15 years, I have trained TKD, BJJ + HS wrestling.

I feel like I know the rules pretty well, and I would be more than happy to study them in depth and learn them inside out/backwards.

My reasons for wanting to become a ref are twofold.

1 - to make more money. I work as a real estate agent, which is great when I have listings and active buyers, but sucks when I don’t. I made 75k last year and I think around 45k this year (plus some unemployment). I live in an expensive area with high cost of living (but great schools and sports/opportunities for my kids) Steady money from working fights would be great to fill in the gaps and hopefully add a financial cushion for vacation, college fund, savings/retirement etc.

2- I am passionate about boxing and MMA, and as fans we often complain about bad refs, so rather than just be another asshole complaining, I feel like I could be a good ref and help make things better.

Questions I have:

How hard is it to get work? I read that there is a shortage of refs, and observe that there is clearly a shortage of good refs, but I still want to know what the path and method of obtaining work is. I would assume knowing people helps, which I really don’t, but I could put in work/hustle to get my name around if needed.

I found the NJSAC page and pdf form to fill out. It lists the fee as $100 for:
pro mma ref
Amateur mma ref
Pro boxing ref
Amateur boxing ref

Do I have to pay $100 2-4x to be licensed for all? Do I need to work amateur first to get licensed for pro? Is the pay significantly better/different for boxing vs MMA refs?

I see online mma referee courses but they are not affiliated with the state athletics commissions which issues the license. Do I need to pay for a class? Or is there a book I could get? (I am adept at self instruction/study and a very good test taker)

depending on total cost I would have to decide whether to purshe MMA, boxing, or both, as well as determine if I should be applying for pro/amateur Licenses.

Thanks!
Anyway, this post is getting long and I know I am running a risk that no one gives a shit and this thread goes nowhere, if people do have any thoughts or experience to share I would be very grateful and I will have additional questions.

If I wind up getting licensed I will document my experience and share as a reference for others if they are interested.

 

[mime]

John McCarthy has a school, I believe that's how trigg became a ref

 

[mime]

https://www.mmareferee.com/?q=courses

 

[PurpleStorm]

Good luck to you. If possible please let us know how it goes. Best wishes for a happy new year.

 

[skylolow]

Do the Command thing in the link above and move forward from there would be your best way to start.

 

[msm1981]

John McCarthy has a school, I believe that's how trigg became a ref

Actually Frank Trigg was trained by both Big John and the California State Athletic Commission where
basically Big John got him started but he works typically in California with Mike Beltran and the rest of
the staff there.

 

[Memeojima]

Herb Dean has a seminar he gives you a certificate if you stop a fight too early

 

[jeff7b9]

https://www.mmareferee.com/?q=courses

thanks for sharing.


$1250 is a lot of money. I am sure that it is an excellent course, they mention that you referee a “mock fight” w pro fighters and get critiqued, so that is very cool, but I am not in the position to lay out that much cash right now.

I’m planning on calling NCSAC tomorrow to see what they can tell me.

The issue I am running into is that the online courses aren’t affiliated with state athletic commissions. Also the ACs seem to have different rules, I read the NJ MMA rules and there are rules which are different from the current Unified mma rules.

 

[jeff7b9]

Good luck to you. If possible please let us know how it goes. Best wishes for a happy new year.

I will definitely share my experience.

it may take a while, especially if it is extremely costly, but I will share and post on here as a reference for anyone else who might be interested.

 

[DoubleA012]

Title says it all. Sorry if this is the wrong place but I didn’t see a clear forum fit and nothing popped up in a forum search.


Does anyone have personal experience getting licensed? I have done some preliminary online research but haven’t yet found all the info I need.

I am a long time fight fan, 30+ years watching boxing, fairly hardcore MMA fan for 15 years, I have trained TKD, BJJ + HS wrestling.

I feel like I know the rules pretty well, and I would be more than happy to study them in depth and learn them inside out/backwards.

My reasons for wanting to become a ref are twofold.

1 - to make more money. I work as a real estate agent, which is great when I have listings and active buyers, but sucks when I don’t. I made 75k last year and I think around 45k this year (plus some unemployment). I live in an expensive area with high cost of living (but great schools and sports/opportunities for my kids) Steady money from working fights would be great to fill in the gaps and hopefully add a financial cushion for vacation, college fund, savings/retirement etc.

2- I am passionate about boxing and MMA, and as fans we often complain about bad refs, so rather than just be another asshole complaining, I feel like I could be a good ref and help make things better.

Questions I have:

How hard is it to get work? I read that there is a shortage of refs, and observe that there is clearly a shortage of good refs, but I still want to know what the path and method of obtaining work is. I would assume knowing people helps, which I really don’t, but I could put in work/hustle to get my name around if needed.

I found the NJSAC page and pdf form to fill out. It lists the fee as $100 for:
pro mma ref
Amateur mma ref
Pro boxing ref
Amateur boxing ref

Do I have to pay $100 2-4x to be licensed for all? Do I need to work amateur first to get licensed for pro? Is the pay significantly better/different for boxing vs MMA refs?

I see online mma referee courses but they are not affiliated with the state athletics commissions which issues the license. Do I need to pay for a class? Or is there a book I could get? (I am adept at self instruction/study and a very good test taker)

depending on total cost I would have to decide whether to purshe MMA, boxing, or both, as well as determine if I should be applying for pro/amateur Licenses.

Thanks!
Anyway, this post is getting long and I know I am running a risk that no one gives a shit and this thread goes nowhere, if people do have any thoughts or experience to share I would be very grateful and I will have additional questions.

If I wind up getting licensed I will document my experience and share as a reference for others if they are interested.

I think most people have already mentioned them on here, but both Herb Dean and Big John have schools for Refs and Judges. I did some very small research in becoming a judge not to long ago, and from my understanding, if you go to one of their courses then you can register for almost any athletic commission as they are both so well respected. Good luck, and hope to see you in the octagon some day!

 

[MMALOPEZ]

thanks for sharing.


$1250 is a lot of money. I am sure that it is an excellent course, they mention that you referee a “mock fight” w pro fighters and get critiqued, so that is very cool, but I am not in the position to lay out that much cash right now.

I’m planning on calling NCSAC tomorrow to see what they can tell me.

The issue I am running into is that the online courses aren’t affiliated with state athletic commissions. Also the ACs seem to have different rules, I read the NJ MMA rules and there are rules which are different from the current Unified mma rules.

Nevada will basically assign you as a student. You go with experienced referees and judges and you watch. Then you do your training on amateur shows or with amateur sanctioning bodies from the state. If you go to their official site, there are the regulations. Also the pay is not good. If you are one of the top guys you can make something decent but starting, is more of a hobby than anything

 

[skylolow]

thanks for sharing.


$1250 is a lot of money. I am sure that it is an excellent course, they mention that you referee a “mock fight” w pro fighters and get critiqued, so that is very cool, but I am not in the position to lay out that much cash right now.

I’m planning on calling NCSAC tomorrow to see what they can tell me.

The issue I am running into is that the online courses aren’t affiliated with state athletic commissions. Also the ACs seem to have different rules, I read the NJ MMA rules and there are rules which are different from the current Unified mma rules.

One of the best things a person can do is invest in themselves. That $1250 could open the doors for you to make extra money(or more) for decades to come.

I think you have to look at as the Command school is basically the Harvard of referee school and probably would help fast track you locally over many of the other guys who have some off the wall online thing.

 

[jeff7b9]

One of the best things a person can do is invest in themselves. That $1250 could open the doors for you to make extra money(or more) for decades to come.

I think you have to look at as the Command school is basically the Harvard of referee school and probably would help fast track you locally over many of the other guys who have some off the wall online thing.

If things go really well when I sell my house in the spring maybe Harvard will be within the budget, but until then I think community college is more realistic. I can always circle back to Harvard later.


I’ll also have to look into what I would realistically be looking at for pay. I love MMA and boxing and would love to contribute to them, but at this point in my life the juice has to be worth the squeeze.