Referee Yves Lavigne has acknowledged that he screwed up during the Pete Sell-Matt Brown fight at UFC 96 on Saturday, saying that he knows he took way too long to stop the fight and allowed Sell to take too much damage.Lavigne told Neil Davidson of the Canadian Press that he made a mistake in trying to stop the fight too early, and then he made another mistake in letting the fight go before ultimately stopping the fight too late.
Lavigne said:
"I did let Mr. Sell take maybe -- not maybe -- I let him take a beating for absolutely nothing," he told The Canadian Press. "So I didn't do my job properly. So basically, I screwed up. I screwed up and I'm going to learn from it and try not to do it again. ... I'm going to make sure not to do it again."That's good to hear. I think Lavigne should have to serve a suspension for the way he handled Sell vs. Brown, but it sounds like even without facing any disciplinary action, Lavigne knows he needs to improve.
Fierce Action at UFC 96
Rampage Jackson enters the ring before his match with Keith Jardine at UFC 96 on March 7, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio.
Josh Hedges, UFC
Rampage Jackson and Keith Jardine posture before their match at UFC 96 on March 7, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio.
Josh Hedges, UFC
Keith Jardine kicks Rampage Jackson during their match at UFC 96 on March 7, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio.
Josh Hedges, UFC
Keith Jardine kicks Rampage Jackson during their match at UFC 96 on March 7, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio.
Josh Hedges, UFC
Rampage Jackson and Keith Jardine grapple during their match at UFC 96 on March 7, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio.
Josh Hedges, UFC
Keith Jardine, right, punches Rampage Jackson during their match at UFC 96 on March 7, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio.
Josh Hedges, UFC
Rampage Jackson punches Keith Jardine during their match at UFC 96 on March 7, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio.
Josh Hedges, UFC
Keith Jardine kicks Rampage Jackson during their match at UFC 96 on March 7, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio.
Josh Hedges, UFC
Rampage Jackson clocks Keith Jardine during their match at UFC 96 on March 7, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio.
Josh Hedges, UFC
Rampage Jackson punches Keith Jardine during their match at UFC 96 on March 7, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio.
Josh Hedges, UFC
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
3-11-2009 @ 3:31PM
ConJery said...
BOBBIE
IM SORRY YOU DONT LIKE THIS SPORT, IT IS A SPORT ,BECAUSE IT TAKES YEARS TO EARN SEVERAL DIFFERENT MARTIAL ARTS DEGREES, WRESTLING SKILLS AND ABOVE ALL RESPECT.
BESIDES IT BEING AROUND ALOT LONGER THEN FOOTBALL,BASEBALL,SOCCER,ETC.THIS WAS AND STILL IS AN ANCESTORY SKILL,PASSED ON THROUGH MANY GENERATIONS AND WELL RESPECTED BY THEM,AS SHOULD BE BY US,JUST LIKE ANY OTHER SPORT..
MY OPINION,NO DISRESPECT TO YOU!!
3-10-2009 @ 9:36AM
Frederick said...
Lavigne is usually a good ref. He made a mistake alot of guys make mistakes. I read a quote of Big John on the subject were he said himself has made mistakes in the past
Lavigne is manning up, taking full blame, facing every question. He is not finding excuses,So different then what we see in sports usually.
I dont really see the need for more penalties toward him.
I would have no problems with him not being the ref for a main event for a while but suspend him I dont agree
Why kick a classy guy thats owning up to his mistake.
The sport is young and will evolve from these various issues.
Reply
3-10-2009 @ 12:59PM
DAN said...
i agree
3-10-2009 @ 10:59AM
Trogdor said...
Yeah, he definitely screwed up, and it is incredibly refreshing to hear him fully own up to his mistakes. I'm not sure what the appropriate punishment is, but I tend to think it should be a lot less than if he was defiant or made excuses.
A lot has justifiably been made of Lavigne's mistakes. But what about Sell's corner? Why did they not throw in the towel? They are supposed to be looking after their man, and they failed miserably. Did they learn nothing from Rocky IV?
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3-10-2009 @ 12:12PM
Michael David Smith said...
Excellent point, Trogdor. I'm pretty surprised Sell's corner didn't throw in the towel, too. I also should make clear that I actually think the worst thing about Lavigne was how indecisive he was: At one point he actually put his hands on Brown as if to stop the fight and then inexplicably kept it going, and then after that he looked like he knew he had already screwed up once and was terrified of screwing up again.
3-10-2009 @ 1:10PM
mike said...
Admitting he screwed up was necessary but not sufficient. If I screw up at my job, just admitting it doesn't totally let me off the hook from any consequences.
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3-10-2009 @ 4:33PM
holbrookinline said...
Untill you put on a referee jersey, you should probably keep your comments to yourself.
Reply
3-11-2009 @ 2:24PM
BiG DaDDy said...
Ha. Say that behind a computer much? Why should he keep his comments to himself on this message board? Do you work for the government? I think the ref being human and making mistakes is an enjoyable part of MMA. And I am sure at the one posters job he has and will continue to make mistakes, unless he is of course perfect or a robot, or a jackass, or a putz...who knows...piss off!!
3-10-2009 @ 5:57PM
shawnapoage said...
I think the reason is that alot of these fighters do cry if it is stopped too early. plus this was a 155 fight I dont think he knew browns power, but dont suspend him he owned up to it
Reply
3-10-2009 @ 6:46PM
sifuchuck said...
If they suspend him after he has been honest about it, it will discourage referees from being honest in the future. Don't reward him for his mistake, but just give him a slap on the wrist. I was once pulled over for speeding and when the trooper asked how fast I was going, I told him. He was so amazed that I was honest about it, he decided to give me a ticket for a seat belt violation instead because it was a lower fine and no points. I was wearing my seat belt, but I wasn't going to argue about it!
Reply
3-10-2009 @ 7:04PM
gar9101 said...
I think, yea he owned up but he did make a mistake. He should serve a small suspension but fine him NO, or do anything else to him. Maybe have him ref. some smaller fights for while amd then move him back up.ike someone said," this is a young sport and it is growing up.More mistakes will be made by a lot of people. GOING TO FIRE THEM ALL???? NOTG>
Reply
3-10-2009 @ 9:20PM
smilineyes said...
i think the way sell went down, it was questionable if the fight should be continued. What i saw sell do, is immediately try to pull guard, which means he had some sense..so the initial "mistake", i think Lavigne was correct to keep them fightin. I think it should be based on each individual fighter. Chris Leben gets more opportunity to gather himself after a viscious knockdown, cause he can generally take it. Sell is obviously the same way.
The worst ref IMO is mazigatti...that fight Mir vs Lesnar was prob the worst i had ever seen. It truly looked bias to me.
One more thought, after a fighter is knocked out, i think that if the fighter hits him unnecessarily 3-4 times before he can be pulled off, there should be a fine/suspension. It makes me sick when this happens. BTW, how is Munoz?
Reply
3-13-2009 @ 1:58PM
wlmj1977 said...
Mir vs Lesnar- total disgrace. Mir knows he had that one gift wrapped and handed to him. It's a wonder he even has the guts to show his face in the octagon.
3-11-2009 @ 1:53AM
callmepooter said...
I look at these post and see how easy-going people are with this ref who admits he screwed up. I agree that he shouldnt be thrown to the lions for a mistake. We all make them. Then I think about Mike Vick or now Chris Brown. They were called all sorts of names, loss endorsements, outcast at every level BEFORE THEY EVEN WENT TO TRIAL!!! How about that. Kinda funny how that works. Looks like a double standard to me.
Reply
3-11-2009 @ 3:59AM
vonpeeler said...
Comparing felonies that Vick & Brown "allegedly" commited with a ref's poor judgment in a fight? you smoke crack???
3-11-2009 @ 10:09AM
cynmob said...
Yves is what we want in the ref business. He was wrong and is owning up to it. That's the kind of integrity we want in the ring. http://mmarefschool.com
Reply
3-11-2009 @ 10:20AM
kerrywenrich said...
a ref is only there to inforce the rules not control the fight
Reply
3-11-2009 @ 10:49AM
Kat said...
Reffing is a hard business. Every fighter is different and it's not as easy as it looks. Sure, a ref is going to make mistakes. It takes a lot of class to own up to that fact. I didn't approve of the calls he made that night and said so, but you HAVE to approve of a guy who's willing to go public and admit that he screwed up. Means he'll probably actually LEARN from it.
Reply
3-11-2009 @ 11:46AM
ConJery said...
KAT,
I AGREE,ITS NOT JUST ENTERTAINMENT WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING A GOOD CALL,ITS CALLED SAFETY............
3-11-2009 @ 11:51AM
Kat said...
Exactly ConJery. It's one thing to enjoy the sport, but real fans aren't watching to see get a dazed guy pummelled. Displays of skill only go so far. No one wants these guys to get hurt; we want to watch them show off their amazing skills. The important thing is that this incident prevents other, similar, incidents from occuring in future.