Tennessee Commission greenlights referee shadowing
The Tennessee Athletic Commission may have stumbled upon a valuable tool in harvesting the next generation of mixed martial arts…
The Tennessee Athletic Commission may have stumbled upon a valuable tool in harvesting the next generation of mixed martial arts officials.
TAC Executive Director Jeff Mullen, a former judge, confirmed on Thursday that his sanctioning body had given the green light for up-and-coming official Brian Beauchamp to shadow assigned referees Dan Miragliotta, Greg Franklin, Mario Yamasaki and Herb Dean at UFC 107 Penn vs. Sanchez this Saturday at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn.
Beauchamp, who studied under Big John McCarthy and graduated from his COMMAND referee course, has officiated matches under the Maximum Fighting Championship banner in Canada and has designs on moving into the pantheon of elite MMA referees. Mullen believes shadowing some of the more respected figures in his profession can only help his cause.
He came up with the idea himself, Mullen said. He called me up, said he’d be in town and wanted to learn. He actually suggested the idea.