Section 1370.100  Referees

a)         The referee is charged with the enforcement of provisions of the Act and this Part that apply to the conduct of contests and the conduct of the contestants and contestant's seconds while in the fighting area.  The referee shall be the chief official and sole arbiter during all bouts.

b)         A referee shall be licensed by the Division and shall be selected and assigned to contests by the Division.

c)         A referee shall not show partiality to any contestant at any time.

d)         A referee shall adhere to the following:

1)         When a referee has cause to suspect a violation of the Act or this Part, he or she shall file a report with the Division describing the event.

2)         A referee must report for duty at least one hour before the scheduled starting time of the contest.

3)         A referee must first report to Division representatives, then to the physician for examination, and shall avoid conversation except with Division officials.

4)         Before starting each bout, the referee shall:

A)        Check with each judge and timekeeper to determine if each is ready;

B)        Ascertain the name of the chief second in each corner; and

C)        Verify that the physician is present.

5)         At the beginning of the contest, the referee shall call contestants to the center of the ring.  Contestants may be accompanied by their chief second only.

6)         It is mandatory for the referee to wear disposable rubber, plastic or latex gloves when refereeing a bout.

7)         The referee shall remain in the fighting area for the entire duration of the bout.

8)         The referee shall ensure that the contestant stays in his or her corner between rounds.

9)         The referee shall hold the chief second responsible for all conduct in his or her corner.

e)         In the event a bout terminates before its scheduled number of rounds, the referee shall inform the judges and the Division of the exact duration of the bout.

f)         The referee may stop or terminate a bout and render a decision for any of the following reasons:

1)         The referee determines that one of the contestants is clearly less experienced or skilled than his or her opponent to the extent that allowing the bout to continue would pose a substantial risk of serious harm or injury to the less experienced or skilled contestant;

2)         The referee determines that one of the contestants is at substantial risk of serious harm or injury and, despite such harm or injury, cannot or will not submit, in the case of martial arts or mixed martial arts, or stop fighting in the case of boxing;

3)         The referee decides that a contestant is not making his or her best effort;

4)         To protect a badly beaten contestant who can no longer protect himself or herself.  When a contestant sustains a cut eye or any other injury that, in the judgment of the referee, may incapacitate the contestant, the referee may call the physician into the fighting area to examine the contestant.  In such cases, the referee shall be guided by the physician's advice;

5)         The referee determines that one contestant is hanging helplessly on or over the fighting area enclosure or the contestant is physically unable to continue a match or to defend himself or herself; or

6)         For any other reason the referee deems necessary to protect the health, safety or welfare of any contestant or any member of the public.

g)         When the fighting area is enclosed by ropes, the referee may stop the bout and require the contestants to resume the action in the center of the fighting area in the same hold the contestants were engaged in at the time the bout was stopped.

h)         The referee shall warn or penalize with a deduction of points a contestant who uses the ropes, cage or any other unfair means to gain advantage.

i)          Whenever a contestant has been injured, knocked out or technically knocked out, the referee shall immediately summon the attending physician to evaluate the injury of the stricken contestant.  The physician may recommend the bout be stopped.  Except at the request of the physician, no managers or seconds shall be permitted to aid the stricken contestant.

j)          The referee or Division representative shall warn the seconds of violations of any rules relating to seconds.  If, after such a warning, the second does not conduct himself or herself in accordance with the rules, the second may be immediately suspended or removed from the corner or his or her contestant may be disqualified.   Further disciplinary or non-disciplinary action may be imposed as the Division deems proper.

k)         The referee shall instruct judges to mark their scorecards accordingly when he or she has assessed a foul upon one of the contestants.

l)          The referee or Division representative shall deliver the official scorecards to the Division representative.  When picking up the scorecards from the judges, the referee or Division representative shall see to it that the cards are completed and the contestants' and judges' names are recorded.  If not, the judges shall be instructed to complete scorecards correctly.

m)        The referee shall ensure that a bout moves to its proper completion.  Delaying or avoiding tactics, or both, should be avoided and the contestant who employs these tactics may be penalized in scoring or disqualified.

n)         The referee selected for each bout shall be at the sole discretion of the Division and that determination shall be final.  The promoter is responsible for all compensation for the referee.  The Division shall set the amount of compensation to be provided to the referee.