Speaking about his involvement in the entertainment industry, Steve Mazzagatti has gained popularity as a referee in Mixed Martial Arts and an actor who is best known for World Extreme Cagefighting TV series. In years of his work standing in the ring between fighters, he became one of the most controversial referees in the history of the game.
Also, he has received many accolades as well as backlash from supporters of the sport. Nevertheless, he has been described by the Bleacher Report as one of the top 10 referees in MMA.
Biography of Steve Mazzagatti
Steve Mazzagatti was born in America. He grew up in the country and made his way to becoming famous in Mixed Martial Arts. As much as he has gathered attention to himself as a referee, he has managed to keep his private life away from his celebrity life.
Steve Mazzagatti Controversies
Mazzagati’s career did not end as a referee in MMA without many controversies no matter how hard he tried. He has been described by Dana White as continuously dangerous with his unending bad decisions.
As much as there are many, here are a few.
He has been accused of making ‘baseless’ rules during games
Mazzagati became popular for making a great number of rules when serving as a referee during fights. His rules however earned him the title of ‘worst MMA referee in history’ – a title many sources and individuals gave him. His prominent controversial rule is point deduction for the back of the head strikes.
A clear example is a fight between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir. Mazzagati put a hold on the Lesnar’s early onslaught to dock him a point. Mazzagati in defense stated that after asking a neurosurgeon about the danger of being hit at the back of the head, he got the response that the recipient of the back of the head blow might be left feeling dizzy, and would be unfair to the fighter. As baseless as many have termed his action, he has equally been praised for taking the decision.
Jon Jone’s only loss in the MMA
Dec5.2009
Referee Steve Mazzagatti disqualifies Jon Jones for hitting Matt Hamill with illegal 12-6 elbows
This is recorded as the only loss of Jones' professional career pic.twitter.com/bDGhlmdb6D
— MMA History Today (@MMAHistoryToday) December 6, 2017
In his first 26 fights in the MMA, he lost only one fight which was against Matt Hamill back in 2009. What makes this interesting is the manner that he lost the fight which was refereed by Steve Mazzagatti. Jones was in full control of the fight and was set to win, but ended up losing after he was disqualified by Mazzagatti for using ‘illegal elbows’.
Many years after the fight, it is still considered very controversial across the board. Jones was heading to seal a victory before he was disqualified, hence many people including MMA president, Dana White sided with him.
He has been accused of stopping fights too late or too early
He has been accused in many games for being late in stopping fights that needed to be stopped earlier, or for being too fast in stopping games that needed to go on. Examples include the former ref-stopping Fitch and Burkman’s fight, Ronda Rousey and Sarah D’Alelio; as well as Kevin Burns and Anthony Johnson’s fights among others.
His mistake caused Johnson a loss in the game when Johnson who was the victim of accidental eye poke was thought to be dropped by Burns. Mazzagati later knew his mistake and apologized. However, the deed had already been done. He made the call and Burns was considered the winner of the fight.
In addition to the controversies surrounding the former referee is his method of calling out foul as in the fight between Rousimar Palhares and Jake Shields when he served as the game’s referee. It took Mazzagatti longer to call it foul, and has been described as lazy in officiating.
For his said incompetence, he was reported to the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) as well as making former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar to refuse step into the octave with the Mazzagatti as a referee.
Steve Mazzagatti’s Family
Wife and Children
Like other aspects of his life outside of his career, not much is known about his family. He has 2 known children Troy Mazzagati and David Mazzagatti. His son Troy is reportedly a firefighter, while David is maintaining a low profile.
Net worth
Mazagatti has generated a good income from his referee and firefighting jobs. His net worth has been recorded by Net Worth Post at $3 million.
Other Facts about Steve Mazzagatti
1. He has been listed as one of the worst referees in history by Dana White
Dana White is the UFC President. He has made it clear on several occasions that Mazzagatti in his opinion is the worst referee in all of MMA. He named Mazzagatti alongside several other referees in the MMA.
2. He used to work as a fireman
After working for more than 17 years for the Las Vegas County Fire, Mazzagatti used to be an American hero.
He was good at his work and he was often time described as a stoic who never winces at the sight of blood. Ironically being a referee is a different ball game for him. as a fight game referee many have described him as a “classless villain who is singlehandedly destroying mixed martial arts”.
3. Steve Mazzagatti’s Age
He should be in his last 40s or early 50s. He has not provided details about his birthday.
4.Height and body measurement
His height has been described as good. He has a physique of an athlete and it is possible he works out to maintain his body and stay fit. The exact details have remained shadowy.
5. Where is he now?
If you are an ardent follower of MMA, then you probably have noticed the absence of Mazzagatti in games as a referee. there have been several speculations as to when he and why he retired.
In 2017, John McCarthy announced the absence of Mazzagatti in the game. What is not clear is whether he left serving as a referee before then.
As much as he is most famed as a professional referee, he has appeared in a number of TV series and has spent many years of his life trying to save lives and properties as a firefighter in Las Vegas County Fire. Since he left the fighting cage, little is known about his life, especially as related to his career.
Complete profile of Steve Mazzagatti
| Steve Mazzagatti | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Steve Mazzagatti |
| Date of Birth | NA |
| Age | NA |
| Zodiac Sign | NA |
| Nationality | American |
| Birth place | United States of America |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Profession | Sports official(Referee) |
| Education | NA |
| Father | NA |
| Mother | NA |
| Siblings | NA |
| Marital Status | NA |
| Spouse/Partner | NA |
| Girlfriend | NA |
| Kids | Troy Mazzagatti, David Mazzagatti |
| Religion | NA |
| Estimated Net Worth: | $3 million |
| Source of net worth | Refereeing career |
| Height | NA |
| Weight | NA |
| Eye color | NA |
| Hair color | NA |
| Social media |
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