Source: CageContender.com
In today’s interview we speak with one half of our long standing refereeing double act Peter ‘N’ Dave about Arm Chair Officials and Controversial Stoppages and more!
During and after a bout the Referees and Judges are often under scrutiny from a host of “Arm Chair” officials, how do you cope with the pressure and their views?
P.L – Every sport has its army of armchair refs, judges and athletes. Im guilty myself of shouting at Sir Alex Ferguson on t.v and questioning his team selections etc but it doesnt make me the manager of a premier league team…nor do I think he cares what I think. I used to get really annoyed at what people where saying about me and my colleagues after events but now I have a rule that I dont go on forums after the show and I dont get involved with ‘ armchair refs ‘ as most of them like to spout nonsense behind a forum user name, which to me shows a lack of conviction or confidence in their own opinions.
Also,I have to take on board that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. A lot of these guys have never fought or for that mater even trained in the sport. For example, one guy on an internet forum suggested that myself and Dave should learn some jiu jitsu as we clearly have no idea about the ground game!!!… I rest my case.
In the recent LHW title fight between Salaverry and Opie you disqualified the UFC vet, which was a big call to make (Not to mention the fact that he had a scary looking Jeff Monson in his corner). Can you talk us through that decision from the refs point of view?
P.L – Firstly,I really dont care who is in the corner of a fighter, Im concerned with what is going on inside the cage and everyone, regardless of where they come from or their stature within the MMA world, whether they are bona fide legends or they think they are in their own heads, are subject to the same treatment and rules as everyone else. As a ref you have to be impartial to everyone and every team on an event and especially during a fight. You cannot get caught up in watching the fight because of who it is or you lose focus on your job.
Now,in the Opie/Salaverry fight I was put in the position that I had to abide by the rules as set down in the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts wherein a fighter cannot kick to the head of a downed opponent or they will be disqualified. Ivan, just before the head kick, had been called for constantly holding the cage in order to gain a bit more leverage in his up kicks. When the head kick happened I had no other choice than to disqualify him. Yes it was a big call and nobody likes to see a fight ended like that but thats why Im there to do, make sure fighters abide by the rules.
Now,I would like to state that Mr Monson had words with me after the fact,insisting that the UFC would have taken a point off for the head kick and let the fight go on, personally I disagree with his opinion but as I said,everyone is entitled to one. I would like to hear what Dana white would say about that.If we look at it from a different view,say I had deducted a point and Ivan had gone on to win the match..then I would have been slated for not disqualifing him for a head kick! You cannot win as a ref.
At each CC event there are a selection of refs, how do you choose who takes which fight? We notice that you are often fired in between 2 giants?
P.L – Ha Ha….thats down to Dave, he makes a point of putting me in with the big guys. Its a standing joke now that we look at the card for the heavyweights, put my name beside that fight and then work round it. How we usually sort fights is firstly we check that we dont have any connection to the team or fighters involved then its usually turn about. If Dave refs the main event at the last show,then I usually take it at the next but that can change.The under card is different as its usually Decky and now Mark, Connor and Rodney too so we just go turn about with them
What is in your view the scariest position you have ever been in during a fight you were reffing?
P.L – I don’t think I would describe any particular moment as scary. There have been a few uncomfortable moments such as when a fighter gets knocked out or badly cut and you are waiting for the medics to do their job. I have seen some bad cuts in the cage and some dislocations but thankfully we have great medics at the shows who do their job fast and professionally. I do have a fear of some of the heavyweights falling on me though..Im not the tallest of guys as you might have noticed.
How do you deal with fighters who are upset by a stoppage
P.L – Fighters want to fight…that is their job and some of them are really good at it. They dont want to lose and sometimes we have to take the decision away from them as they will gladly pass out or fight with a cut etc. We tell the guys in the rules meeting not to make a scene in the cage if they disagree with our call and to be fair most of them stick to that. You have to stand by your call when stopping a fight, so,when you are pulled up on it you are happy with what you saw to make to step in. If a fighter feels aggrieved, I will always make myself available to talk about it after the show or if we have a break, I will describe what I saw, what I thought was happening and why I stopped the bout.
Sometimes they agree at the time but more often than not, after they watch the fight back they see my point of view. They still probably disagree with me though.
To finish off tell us a rule that is often got wrong by public perception
P.L – One of the main rules that people outside the cage complain about is when we stop a fight due to not intelligently defending. Granted not everyone spectating has ever been at the rules meeting where we desribe this rule to the fighters and coaches but if I can try to explain it to the layman or CC fan.
If a fighter is lying on his back with his opponent in mount and the opponent is throwing punches/elbows down on him,we will ask the grounded fighter to improve his position. By that we mean,defend the strikes or work to escape. If the grounded fighter stays where he is and just covers his head we will, after calling on him three or four times to improve, deem that he is not intelligently defending himself so we call the fight. The same rule applies if the grounded fighter has his back taken and strikes are being landed. People outside the cage think that we should be letting the guys fight on but fighter safety is the most important factor at any show and although it may sound harsh,we are not there to please the crowd,we are there to make sure the fighters can go home in one piece and are able to fight another day.
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