List of Current UFC Referees in 2024 & Salaries

A referee is an important part of a UFC/MMA bout. Promotions like UFC do not directly hire referees. Instead, Athletic Commission(NSAC) appoints 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.

UFC Referees Salary 2024

As per the definition from Nevada State Athletic Commission, 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 when to call a stoppage.

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 Level	Per Match Fees	Pay-per-view Fees	Yearly 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.

NAME	UFC JOIN DATE	ANNUAL CONTRACT	PER MATCH AMOUNT	SOCIAL MEDIA
Herb Dean	2004/04/02	$500,000	PPV Bonus: $15,000 Per Match: $2,500	Twitter: @HerbDeanMMA Instagram: @herbdeanmma
Jason Herzog	2009/10/24	$380,000	PPV Bonus: $10,000 Per Match: $2,500	Twitter: @JasonHerzogMMA Instagram: @JasonHerzogMMA
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	–
Marc Goddard	N/A	$300,000	PPV Bonus: $10,000 Per Match: $2500	Twitter: @marcgoddard_uk Instagram: @marcgoddard_uk
Dan Miragliotta	2007/11/17	$300,000	PPV Bonus: $10,000 Per Match: $2,500	Twitter: @danmira3
Jerin Valel	2007/04/22	–	–	Twitter: @Ninja_Preto Instagram: @ninjapreto
Eric McMahon	2024/02/03	–	–	–
Keith Peterson	N/A	$380,000	PPV Bonus: $10,000 Per Match: $2,500	Twitter: @KPetersonUFC
Kevin MacDonald	January 20, 2024	–	–	–
Kerry Hatley	October 2022	–	–	Twitter: @HatleyKerry
Jacob Montalvo	November 2022	–	–	Twitter: @JacobMontalvo5 Instagram: @jakobmontalvo
Mike Beltran	N/A	–	–	Twitter: @RefMikeBeltran Instagram: @referee_mike_beltran
Vitor Ribeiro	July 2014	$15,000	PPV Bonus: $5,000 Per Match: $1,500	–
Garry Copeland	March 2011	$300,000	PPV Bonus: $10,000 Per Match: $2,500	–
Wayne Spinola	Jan 2020	–	Per Match $650	–
Larry Carter	Jan 2020	–	Per Match $650	–
Fernando Salas	Feb 24, 2024	–	–	–
Bladimir Puga	Feb 24, 2024	–	–	–

Also Check: UFC Roster