How much do UFC refs make per fight?

Ever watched a UFC fight and wondered what is the UFC referee salary?

Entry level MMA referees make $250 per fight (yearly around $14,500). Professional MMA referees make $2,500 per fight with $10,000 bonus for PPV events (yearly around $380,000). Female MMA referees make $1,000 per fight with $3,500 bonus for PPV events (yearly around $60,000).

In the rest of the article, I will discuss some specific numbers regarding UFC referee salary, what affects that salary, and how much are best UFC referees making.

Also, I will include the UFC judge salary and show you some really interesting numbers.

UFC Referee Salary: How Much Do UFC Refs Make?

The UFC referees are hired and paid on a fight-to-fight basis, although more money is earned for bigger PPV events.

The fact is that there is a basic salary for different categories of referees and it increases based on their reputation, the event and the money the promotor has.

For example, big name referees such as Herb Dean and “Big” John McCarthy earn substantially more than their lesser known peers for the same event and category, but that is business.

These numbers concern only professional referees with a high reputation in the UFC.

LevelPer Fight SalaryPPV BonusYearly Earnings
Entry Level MMA Referees $250 $14,500
Professional MMA Referees $2,500 $10,000 $380,000
Female MMA Referees $1,000 $3,500 $60,000

Younger referees earn as little as $250 per fight, but the less reputable pros manage to average about $500 per match.

If we include the fact that younger referees don’t actually get invited to pay-per-view events, the yearly amount of c. $14,500 is not just unfair compared to the above-mentioned sums, but also quite small. 

These are, of course, just official numbers and there are speculations that some of the numbers go even higher. 

Women referees average about $1,000 per fight if they have a high reputation, but it’s usually even less than that.

The difference is even more visible with pay-per-view events, where women earn just $3,000, compared to the more than three times higher amount their male peers earn.

UFC Judge Salary: How Much Do UFC Judges Make?

According to California State Athletic Commission, MMA judges make $300 per fight if the net gate is below $50,000. If the net gate is between $50,000 and $100,000, MMA judges get $350 per fight, and if the net gate is above $100,000, MMA judges will get $550 for a fight. [1]

The issue with the judges is that they don’t have a high reputation in the world of MMA in general. Their decisions are often criticized and many commentators.

While there is no official confirmation, the Internet anecdotally reaffirms that UFC judges make $900 per fight, which is substantially less than the referees, with the younger ones being an exception.

How the fee is calculated is not exactly known. But, compared to some known data – this seems to be a relatively high amount of money.

To add to that fact, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) states in its rules that the judges don’t get any sort of pay, just a non-fixed compensation for their participation in the match; the amount depends on the event and other external elements. [2]

How much do UFC refs make per fight?

A referee is an important part of a UFC/MMA bout. Promotions like UFC do not directly hire referees. Instead, Nevada State Athletic Commission(NSAC) provides the referees for these promotions.

Promotions generally do not have a say in getting particular referees, but only some highly reputed referees get to officiate in UFC. Check below for the list of currently active UFC referees and their salaries per match and yearly contracts.

As per the definition from NSAC, a referee takes up a lot of responsibilities during the match. He determines when to start or stop the match, tells both fighters about the rules of the bout, determines fouls- both accidental and intentional, and whether a fighter could continue in the match anymore.

With these many roles and responsibilities, how much does a UFC/MMA referee make per fight? Both match fees and PPV fees for referees depend on their experience and expertise level. Professional referees generally get from $1000 to $2500 per fight while they get anywhere from $5000 to $10000(or even upto $15000) per fight as a bonus in PPV bouts. For example, Marc Goddard got $2500 for his services in UFC 279 PPV main event bout between Nate Diaz and Tony Ferguson. He would have got a PPV bonus also on top of this amount ranging around $10,000.

Entry-level referees generally do not get called up to UFC. But, they get $350 to $650 per match in other promotions. Top female referees get $1000 onwards per fight in non-PPV events and $3500 onwards for PPV events. For entry-level female referees, the pay scale is the same as for male referees.

The yearly earnings of MMA referees depend on the number of fights a referee is officiating. For example, Herb Dean was in charge of around 130 bouts in 2021, while Jason Herzog was part of only around 100 fights in 2021. Therefore, Herb Dean’s yearly payout would be far more than that of Jason Herzog even if both men are on the same salary.

Referee LevelPer Match FeesPay-per-view FeesYearly Earnings
Professional Referee $1000 to $2,500 $5,000 to $15,000 $250,000 to $550,000
Entry Level Referees $350 to $650 N/A $15,000 to $30,000
Female Referees $1000 $3,500 $60,000

Current UFC Referees(Active)

As noted above, the Athletic Commission picks the referees for UFC. However, there are a few referees who have been regular in UFC in the last few years. Below is the list of approximate salaries for currently active UFC Referees.

*These are estimated numbers. Actual figures may vary.

NAMEUFC JOIN DATEANNUAL CONTRACTPER MATCH AMOUNTSOCIAL MEDIA
How much do UFC refs make per fight?
Herb Dean
2004/04/02 $500,000 PPV Bonus: $15,000
Per Match: $2,500
Twitter: @HerbDeanMMA
Instagram: @herbdeanmma
How much do UFC refs make per fight?
Jason Herzog
2009/10/24 $380,000 PPV Bonus: $10,000
Per Match: $2,500
Twitter: @JasonHerzogMMA
Instagram: @JasonHerzogMMA
How much do UFC refs make per fight?
Mark Smith
Jan 2015 $380,000 PPV Bonus: $10,000
Per Match: $2,500
Chris Tognoni 12/4/10 $380,000 PPV Bonus: $10,000
Per Match: $2,500
How much do UFC refs make per fight?
Marc Goddard
N/A
$300,000
PPV Bonus: $10,000
Per Match: $2500
Twitter:
@marcgoddard_uk
Instagram:
@marcgoddard_uk
How much do UFC refs make per fight?

Dan Miragliotta 
2007/11/17 $300,000 PPV Bonus: $10,000
Per Match: $2,500
Twitter:
@danmira3
Keith Peterson N/A $380,000 PPV Bonus: $10,000
Per Match: $2,500
Twitter:
@KPetersonUFC
Kerry Hatley October 2022 Twitter: @HatleyKerry
Jacob Montalvo November 2022 Twitter: @JacobMontalvo5
Instagram: @jakobmontalvo
Mike Beltran N/A Twitter: @RefMikeBeltran
Instagram: @referee_mike_beltran

Also Check: UFC Roster | UFC Fighters list

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