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Dan Miragliotta

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Dan Miragliotta
Born (1963-10-30) October 30, 1963 (age 61)
New Jersey, United States
Other names"Big Dan Miragliotta"
Occupation(s)MMA referee, MMA judge, actor

Dan Miragliotta (born August 30, 1963) is a professional mixed martial arts referee,[1][2] judge and former actor from the United States best known for officiating numerous bouts promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), dating back to UFC 78.[3] He was credited as one the best[4] referees in MMA, as well as one of the most recognizable and active referees on the promotion in both 2022 and 2023.[5][6] As of December 2024, Miragliotta has officiated 1,266 MMA fights.[1]

Martial arts background

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Miragliotta started training Shitō-ryū karate at 14 years of age to recover from a surfing accident that caused two Vertebrae in his back to break. He would eventually begin competing in the sport and received his black belt when he was 18 years old.[3] Miragliotta would then go on to train and compete in both Kenpo karate (in which he would eventually earn a 5th Dan black belt) and Doce Pares Eskrima, a Filipino stick fighting martial art. Miragliotta would eventually start training Muay Thai and shootfighting, becoming an instructor in both, under Vut Kamnark and Bart Vale (3rd level), respectively. He is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt under Renzo Gracie.[3]

Acting career

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Miragliotta did stunts for the 2014 film Noah and acted as an extra in the 2015 film Tracers (Russian Gangster #2). He also acted as an extra in the TV series Daredevil (Big Biker) and Person of Interest (Corrupt Cop with Shotgun), both roles were uncredited. Miragliotta is set to star as himself in the upcoming film Memoirs from the Streets of New York.

MMA referee and judge

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Beginnings

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Miragliotta began his career as an MMA referee in US Vale Tudo, a promotion based in Virginia, and would then go on to run his own MMA events in New Jersey, occupying the roles of promoter, organizer and referee (even becoming a boxing referee).[3] Although members of the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board (SACB) attended events, they did not regulate them at the time.[7][8] His work would lead to other promotions asking Miragliotta to referee at their own events.[3] By the time the SACB began regulating professional MMA in the state, it is reported Miragliotta had already refereed more than 400 fights.[9][7]

In the Ultimate Fighting Championship

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Miragliotta would have his first appearance in the promotion on UFC 78: Validation, where he would referee five fights, including the main event: Rashad Evans vs. Michael Bisping.[10] Since then, he has been "the third man" in many fights on several important events held by the promotion, among these:

  • UFC 87:
    • Assignments:
    • Tamdan McCrory vs. Luke Cummo
    • Kenny Florian vs. Roger Huerta
    • Brock Lesnar vs. Heath Herring
    • Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch (main event)[11]
  • UFC 112:
    • Assignments:
    • DeMarques Johnson vs. Brad Blackburn
    • Phil Davis vs. Alexander Gustafsson
    • Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia (main event)[12]
  • UFC 172:
    • Assignments:
    • Danny Castillo vs. Charlie Brenneman
    • Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira[13]
  • UFC 198:
    • Assignments:
    • Francisco Trinaldo vs. Yancy Medeiros
    • Stipe Miocic vs.Fabricio Werdum[14]
  • UFC 223:
    • Assignments:
    • Devin Clark vs. Mike Rodriguez
    • Chris Gruetzemacher vs. Joe Lauzon
    • Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Al Iaquinta (main event)[15]

As of December 2024, Miragliotta's latest appearance in the promotion was UFC on ESPN: Covington vs. Buckley, where he officiated three fights, including the main event.[16]

In other promotions

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Although best known for his role in the beginnings of MMA and appearances in the UFC, throughout his career, Miragliotta has continued to work for many other MMA promotions such as: Bellator MMA, Professional Fighters League, Cage Warriors, Cage Fury Fighting Championships and Art of War, among others.[17] He has also participated in many importants events in these promotions, most notably Bellator 180 and Bellator 214.[18][19]

Controversy

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While well-liked by most athletes,[4] Miragliotta has been involved in several controversies throughout his time as a referee and judge. One of the most well-known was his stoppage of the main event of EliteXC: Primetime, Kevin Ferguson (better known as Kimbo Slice)[20] vs. James Thompson.[21] In the first round, Thompson was able to take Ferguson several times and control the pace of the fight. This happened again in the second round where, towards the end, Ferguson would be smothered and would take several shots to the head without referee intervention. In the third round, Ferguson punched Thompson hard, hitting him the ear and causing the cyst that was in it to burst open, which lead to a great amount of blood pouring out. Thompson would go on to take four more headshots before Miragliotta stopped the fight, 38 seconds into the round,[21][22] although Thompson was still standing up and moving.[23] The stoppage was heavily criticised, arguing an unprepared[24] Ferguson was set up with an easy match-up that the promotion hoped he would perform well in. It was even argued that the match was "rigged" as the blood should not have been cause for a stoppage, since it was not in Thompson's eyes.[25] Miragliotta would go on to defend his stoppage by claiming that his stoppage was not due to the blood, although it was "one of the most disgusting things I've seen in a fight".[26] Instead, his justification for stopping the fight was that, by the look of Thompson's eyes, he was "out of it".[26]

In 2011, Miragliotta admitted the only call he ever made he was regretful of was the highly criticized stoppage of the fight between Brandon Vera and Fabricio Werdum, on UFC 85.[7] Late into the first round, Werdum mounted Vera and began punching him, Miragliotta stopped the fight with twenty seconds left in the round.[27] He would later go on to declare that while Vera was trying to reassure him that he was okay, he misinterpreted it as a verbal submission.[7] This decision would be heavily criticized by both fans and the media, with several attendees at the event and commentator Joe Rogan protesting the stoppage.[27][28]

A third instance of controversy occurred at Bellator 227 (also known as Bellator Dublin). There, Miragliotta would referee the bout between Michael "Venom" Page (also known as MVP) and Richard Kiley.[29] Page would win the fight via knockout from a flying knee.[30] However, before this, Miragliotta would deduct a point from him because of "unsportsmanlike conduct" after he insulted his opponent.[31] At the end of the fight, Miragliotta attempted to make Page and Kiley shake hands to show sportsmanship. However, Page would tell him to "fuck off".[31] After this, Miragliotta would turn to one of Page's coaches and say "What a fucking piece of shit." before promptly apologizing.[31] After the event, Page would demand an apology and Miragliotta would vow to never referee any of his future fights.[32] Neiher of them would be punished by the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation for their actions.[32] The pair would later reconcile, although the decision to "never share the ring again" would be kept.[33]

Miragliotta's next controversial moment would occur on UFC on ESPN 7, involving his handling and stoppage of the bout between Ben Rothwell and Stefan Struve.[34] In the first round of the bout, Struve was winning the striking exchanges. However, he was hit with a low blow from which he took almost five minutes to recover.[35] In the second round, Struve would be hit with another low blow which he would also take long to recover from. During this recovery time, Miragliotta would tell him that he was up two rounds to zero, and if he chose not to continue, his decision would be to declare the fight a no contest.[36] The fight would continue with a point deduction to Rothwell. Shortly after the bout resumed, Rothwell would overwhelm Struve and Miragliotta stopped the fight when Struve crumpled to the canvas with three seconds left on the round.[36] Miragliotta's words to Struve would be questioned, as many considered it inappropriate for a referee to advise a fighter.[37] However, Struve would later defend Miragliotta, declaring that the referee was just trying to allow him to make a good decision.[37]

The next time Miragliotta would become target of heavy criticism would involve him as a judge rather than a referee and would take place in UFC on ESPN 43. The card included a bout between Maycee Barber and Andrea Lee,[38] in which Miragliotta would be a judge. Barber would go on to win the bout via split decision and Miragliotta's scorecards would draw negative feedback from both fighters and fans, as he scored the bout 30-27 in favor of Barber.[39] This came into great contrast with Chris Lee's and Frank Collazo's scorecards, scoring the bout 30-29 for Lee and Barber, respectively.[39]

Finally, UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis has gone as far as to claim that he suspects Miragliotta is part of a conspiracy against him (although no substantial evidence for this claim has been provided).[40] In Lewis's fights against Tai Tuivasa and Sergei Pavlovich, in UFC 271[41] and UFC 277,[42] respectively, Lewis would complain about Miragliotta's decision to stop the fight.[43][44][40] Regarding the bout against Pavlovich, commentators Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier, as well as fighters such as Francis Ngannou and Belal Muhammad, among others, also regarded its end as an early stoppage.[45] Dana White, CEO and president of the UFC, also considered the stoppage to be early but did not see it as a great mistake, commenting "Miragliotta made a mistake, but it happens."[44]

Outside of mixed martial arts

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Outside of mixed martial arts, Miragliotta has also acted as a referee in bare-knuckle boxing for BKFC and kickboxing for Gut Check Promotions.[46]

References

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  1. ^ a b Sherdog.com. "Dan". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
  2. ^ "Ring Officials Inspectors". boxing.nv.gov. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Dan Miragliotta - History Of The MMA Referee". www.lowkickmma.com. 2022-03-06. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  4. ^ a b Al-Shatti, Shaheen. "Fighters vote: Best and worst MMA referees, judging judges, grading commissions". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  5. ^ "Leading third men: The 10 referees who oversaw the most UFC fights in 2022". MMA Junkie. 2022-12-19. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  6. ^ "Leading third men: The 9 referees who oversaw the most UFC fights in 2023". MMA Junkie. 2023-12-26. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  7. ^ a b c d "Referee Dan Miragliotta's underground events led to UFC on Versus 4's big call". MMA Junkie. 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  8. ^ Genia, Jim (2011). Raw combat: the underground world of mixed martial arts. New York : London: Citadel ; Turnaround [distributor]. ISBN 978-0-8065-3504-3.
  9. ^ Hill, Adam. "A Timeline of UFC Rules: From No-Holds-Barred to Highly Regulated". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  10. ^ Sherdog.com. "UFC 78 - Validation". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  11. ^ Sherdog.com. "UFC 87 - Seek and Destroy". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  12. ^ Sherdog.com. "UFC 112 - Invincible". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  13. ^ Sherdog.com. "UFC 172 - Jones vs. Teixeira". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  14. ^ Sherdog.com. "UFC 198 - Werdum vs. Miocic". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  15. ^ Sherdog.com. "UFC 223 - Khabib vs. Iaquinta". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  16. ^ Sherdog.com. "UFC on ESPN 63 - Covington vs. Buckley". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-12-21.
  17. ^ Sherdog.com. "Dan". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  18. ^ Sherdog.com. "Bellator 180 - Sonnen vs. Silva". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  19. ^ Sherdog.com. "Bellator 214 - Fedor vs. Bader". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  20. ^ Sherdog.com. "Kevin". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  21. ^ a b Sherdog.com. "EliteXC - Primetime". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  22. ^ Iannotti, James (2008-05-27). "CBS Elite XC results for 'Saturday Night Fights' on May 31". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  23. ^ "MMA Review – Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson | A.J. Wood". ajwood.com. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  24. ^ Mohapatra, Pramit (1 June 2008). "EliteXC "Primetime" aftermath: Kimbo Slice needs work, Brett Rogers wants a piece". Fight Ticker. Archived from the original on 22 June 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  25. ^ Daconta, C. J. "Elite XC Fix: Kimbo Slice Wins a Rigged Match". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  26. ^ a b Smith, Michael David (2008-06-02). "Ref Dan Miragliotta Defends Stoppage of Kimbo Slice-James Thompson Fight". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  27. ^ a b Wizzle, D. "UFC 85: Bedlam Review and Recap". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  28. ^ oleg (2008-06-09). "UFC 85 Review". Fight Matrix. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  29. ^ Sherdog.com. "Bellator 227 - Gallagher vs. Salazar". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  30. ^ stevejuon (2019-09-27). "Bellator 227 Results & Streaming Play-By-Play Main Card Updates". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  31. ^ a b c Marrocco, Steven (2019-10-01). "Referee Dan Miragliotta responds to Michael 'Venom' Page: 'I'll never do his fights again'". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  32. ^ a b Balfe, John (2019-10-01). "Dan Miragliotta confirms he called Michael 'Venom' Page a 'f*cking piece of s**t' following Bellator Dublin bout". Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  33. ^ "MVP forgives ref Miragliotta for post-fight clash". ESPN.com. 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  34. ^ Sherdog.com. "UFC on ESPN 7 - Overeem vs. Rozenstruik". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  35. ^ Doherty, Dan (2019-12-08). "UFC DC Results: After Delivering Two Groin Shots, Ben Rothwell Finishes Stefan Struve". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  36. ^ a b "UFC on ESPN 7 results: Ben Rothwell low blows then TKOs Stefan Struve". MMA Junkie. 2019-12-08. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  37. ^ a b "Stefan Struve defends referee Dan Miragliotta's controversial handling of his fight with Ben Rothwell". MMA Junkie. 2019-12-10. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  38. ^ Sherdog.com. "UFC on ESPN 43 - Vera vs. Sandhagen". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  39. ^ a b Nambiar, Abhishek (30 March 2023). "Dan Miragliotta slammed by MMA world for 30-27 score in Maycee Barber's favor: UFC San Antonio". Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  40. ^ a b Lee, Alexander K. (2023-02-02). "Derrick Lewis doesn't want Dan Miragliotta reffing UFC Vegas 68 fight after past stoppages: 'He's got a conspiracy out on me'". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  41. ^ Sherdog.com. "UFC 271 - Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  42. ^ Sherdog.com. "UFC 277 - Pena vs. Nunes 2". Sherdog. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  43. ^ "UFC 271 results: Tai Tuivasa outslugs Derrick Lewis, knocks out 'The Black Beast'". MMA Junkie. 2022-02-13. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  44. ^ a b Meshew, Jed (2022-07-31). "Sergei Pavlovich and Dana White disagree on controversial stoppage of Derrick Lewis at UFC 277". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  45. ^ Lee, Alexander K. (2022-07-30). "'Weak as hell': Fighters debate stoppage of Sergei Pavlovich vs. Derrick Lewis bout at UFC 277". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  46. ^ "Refereed by Dan Miragliotta". Tapology. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
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