Three notable referees now can officiate MMA bouts in the State of Nevada.
At Thursday’s monthly Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) meeting, the state’s combat sports regulatory body convened, voted and approved a trio of officials, who long have frequented the UFC, Bellator and PFL in other states – but had not yet been approved in Nevada.
Scroll below to read more about each official who was approved Thursday. Statistics via MMA database Tapology.
Gary Copeland
Home state: North Carolina
UFC bouts officiated: 40
Bellator bouts officiated: 27
WSOF/PFL bouts officiated: 62
Notes: Has officiated since at least 2010, with the majority of his bouts coming on the East Coast and in the Midwest … serves as Waynesville, N.C., chief of police … graduated from FBI National Academy … former Marine.
Blake Grice
Home state: South Carolina
UFC bouts officiated: 28
Bellator bouts officiated: 60
WSOF/PFL bouts officiated: 15
Notes: Lead official in Georgia and South Carolina, but has officiated worldwide … owns MMA gym in Anderson, S.C. … has officiated since 2012.
Kevin MacDonald
Home state: Massachusetts
UFC bouts officiated: 95
Bellator bouts officiated: 202
WSOF/PFL bouts officiated: 19
Notes: Former fighter under Yves Edwards … firefighter/EMT in Watertown, Mass., since 2004 … one of the ABC’s lead instructors for referee and judge certification classes … MMA official since at least 2007.
