Favorite Ref?

I've got to go with Herb Dean. He usually stops the fight at the best times possible.

i will give props to Herb Dean but mostly only because the man is a fighter himself my favorite ref is without a doubt Big John i mean he applied to fight at UFC 1 and wut other ref is good enough to get himself a nickname

I like Big John too him and Herb are both my favorite.

Just sumthin bout Herb cracks me up so hes my favorite

Big John and Herb are great. For the UFC, Yves Lavigne makes good calls too I think. Not so impressed with Mazagatti.

But thats just UFC, Pride has great refs too, fit to match anything in UFC.

herb is the worst, steve mazzgowhatever is the best

mazzagati seems to have a history of making questionable stoppages. I think when it comes to reffing stopping fights at the proper time is really the most important thing, and I have to give the nod to Herb in that department. He always seems to stop the fight at the perfect time, and seems to catch things that other people miss (tim sylvia breaking his arm comes to mind, everyone booed until they saw what he saw.)

its pretty hard to have to judge whethr to stop a fight and there are guidelines.......if a person is not defending themself correctly then the ref has to step in whether they are eating the shots or not they have to be defending themselves smartly that does not include the fetal position

Big John, without a doubt. He always gives the guy time to work himself out of a pounding or bad spot, and he does stand-ups and encourages action, in my eyes, perfectly. I despise Herb Dean, just because he has had one too many premature stoppages for my liking.

Big John is far and away the best eva. Surprised to hear many other opinions. I would think the question would be who's the best after him. They all have problems (according to this person or that) except him. You never hear complaints about him stopping too early or late or anything. He establishes the control of a ref who is as respected as the fighters.... etc... Everyone else has problems, but I don't feel like dindivudualizing every argument. But essentially noone beats BJM.

big john too.
he always have total control of the fight from the start to the finish.

Big John... followed by Herb. Can't stand Steve, and I always laugh when I hear Yves name announced. Such a stupid sounding name.

I think that the consencus is that BJM is the best.

After that it seems to be a toss up, personally I like Herb Dean, I like his stoppages even if some people may thing they are questionable.

I gotta give it to my boy Herb Dean...

Herb Dean, because of his article in Real Fighter on the Tyson Griffin/Urijah Faber fight.. It made me feel like I was right there, seeing the fight.. Plus it came from the point of view of a guy who fights professionally, and he knows what it's like to go out there and give it his all, and he also knows when a fight is over. It's gotta be Herb Dean.

Steve Mazzagati just because of his new found moustache. And who else says 'you ready SIR?'

But in all reality Herb Dean, because he's taken shit and sticks to his opinion, which turns out to be right. He took so much shit for that Sylvia/Mir fight until people saw the replay.

I have recently come to have a lot of respect Yves Lavinge.

Big John will always be my man. :-*

Big johns my favorite ref but i have a lot of appreciation for mazzagatti after comign foawrd to talk about maynard emerson fight

Lavigne and of course Big John.

the name of this thread shouldve just been big john = best ref of all time

Big John

Big John, Herb Dean who better to ref a fight then a fellow fighter... but Steve Mazzogatti im not to fond of not because of this weekend which i think was good stoppage but because i'v seen him let some fights go on to long. cant really think of any at the moment but i know i'v said this to myself a good amount of times....

i have to give it to big john mccarthy he stops them usually right except on the matt hughes GSP 2 fight.