Combat sports referees have one of the most difficult jobs in all of sports. Being the third man in the cage or ring, inches away from two highly-trained and dangerous athletes, refs have to stay focused on keeping the competitors safe and the fight fair while making sure they don’t catch a stray shot to the dome.
Hell, even if the ref does their jobs and the fight goes just a second late, they’ll hear about it from fighters, families, fans and might get a kick to the butt from Roy Nelson. No one wants that. No one.
That’s why it’s a damn shame when you see a highlight like this. A Muay Thai referee worked to separate a particularly fiery Muay Thai bout, then got caught by an errant spinning backfist when he moved in too close. You gotta watch out for the spinning sh*t. Always.
Let’s take another look:
You can see various cornermen rush to the ref’s aids immediately after he flops to the ground, then the video cuts to what looks like a brawl between both fight teams. Was it because of the backfist, or was something else brewing, leading to the ref needing to get so close in the first place? What a mess.
