The fighters are the most crucial part of combat sports. Also vital to the sport is the third man inside the ring or cage, responsible for the safety of the fighters—the Referee. One of the best referees in MMA today is Marc Goddard, a Brit who was formerly a fighter.
Goddard recently spoke with ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry on the Overdogs Podcast, discussing various subjects, mostly connecting to MMA. Interestingly, the 50-year-old also revealed the fascinating story behind his first MMA refereeing gig.
Marc Goddard’s Accidental Career Change
Along with Herb Dean, Jason Herzog, Dave Smith, and Dan Miragliotta, Marc Goddard officiates most of the high-profile bouts in MMA. Despite being a World MMA Award Referee of the Year winner, Goddard has faced his share of criticism, particularly in recent times.
Nevertheless, one thing is sure. The Brit has always put the safety of the fighters above everything else, as it should be. Interestingly, Goddard never thought his career would pan out like this when he was a fighter. He spoke about it to Perry on the podcast.
“I was supposed to fight at [an] event, I got injured, and the promoter was a friend of mine. I turned up, and he said something happened to one of the other refs, and he’s like, ‘You gotta ref.’ I was like, ‘fu** what?’ You know, I didn’t have time to think about it,” said Goddard.
“And, you know, a lot of people ask me that question anyway, how did I start. So it was totally by accident. I had no choice in the matter,” Goddard added, admitting the decision panned out to be the best decision he made in his life.
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The Brit also revealed the behind-the-scenes of the refereeing job. Surprisingly, he revealed that athletic commissions prevent referees from making statements after the fights. Moreover, Goddard revealed he had never and will never officiate a Leon Edwards fight.
Goddard had coached Edwards as an amateur. Moreover, he has even requested commissions to relieve him of duty from certain fights, citing his desire not to be part of a drama. Unfortunately, has been part of many, mainly due to questionable stoppages.
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