Referee, judges assigned for UFC 246 main event

On Saturday night in Las Vegas, in the main event of UFC 246, Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone will collide in what promises to be one of the biggest fights of the year.

The judges and referee for this blockbuster McGregor vs. Cerrone fight have now been assigned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (h/t MMA Fighting).

The third man in the Octagon for the UFC 246 main event will be veteran officiator Herb Dean. This will Dean’s seventh time officiating a McGregor fight, and eleventh time in the cage for a Cerrone fight. Suffice it to say that he’s experienced working with both men.

The judges’ seats, meanwhile, will be filled by Sal D’Amato, Chris Lee and Derek Cleary, all experienced and active MMA judges with reasonable track records.

UFC 246 will mark Conor McGregor’s first fight since late 2018, when he was submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov in a bid to reclaim the UFC lightweight belt. His next most recent fight before that was a blockbuster boxing match with undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather Jr., while his second most recent MMA fight occurred all the way back in 2016, when he knocked out Eddie Alvarez to claim the lightweight belt. Because he still held the UFC featherweight belt at the time, this made him the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes simultaneously. He’s 21-4 in MMA competition.

Cerrone, on the other hand, will enter the cage at UFC 246 with stoppage losses to Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson in the rear-view mirror. Prior to that, he rattled off back-to-back wins over lightweight contenders Al Iaquinta and Alexander Hernandez. Cerrone holds the UFC records for most wins and most finishes. He’s 36-13 overall.

What do you think of the judging and referee assignments for the UFC 246 main event?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 1/16/2020.