Hot tempers in Hot Springs: Referee faces possible lifetime ban after shoving fighter in heated altercation

The third man in the cage is responsible for controlling unarmed combat between two fighters, not partaking it in, but that was the case at a recent pro-am MMA event in Hot Springs, Ark.

That referee, Jon Munz, now could have his license permanently revoked as a result of his actions that were caught on camera. The initial video clip was posted throughout Arkansas MMA circles on Facebook, and everyone seemed to have an opinion as to who was “at fault.”

Looking back on the incident, middleweight Robert Gidron openly absorbs the blame – or at least a portion of it. The sequence of events still has him struggling to fully wrap his head around why it played out like it did.

Perhaps there’s no clear explanation available when emotions run as high as they did Jan. 20 at the Hot Springs Convention Center. The incident occurred midway through Round 2 of the Real Deal Championship 10 (RDC 10) main event after Gidron grabbed the cage to prevent being taken down by opponent Chauncey Foxworth.

“I didn’t mean to grab the cage,” Gidron recently told MMA Junkie. “You can see in the video: When I went to grab the cage, as soon as I grabbed the cage and stood up, as he’s running toward me, I’m throwing my hands up. That tells you I already did wrong. I messed up. Most refs when they grab you, they say, ‘Stop, stop, stop.’”

A series of unfortunate events

As the clip shows, Munz, who was entrusted with officiating duties during that bout, did more than just verbally interject. Munz, who has been a part of the Arkansas MMA community for over a decade in various capacities that includiepromoter and official, pushed Gidron. It was perhaps a bit too high for Gidron’s liking.

“He ran and put his forearm in my throat,” Gidron recalled.

Gidron isn’t proud of it, but he pushed the referee’s arm.

“Me, I’m already in fight mode,” Gidron said. “What I did, I’m not saying I was wrong, and I’m not saying I was right, but I pushed him off me. He’s a big guy. All his weight was on my throat. … I felt that I pushed (him) off me. Maybe I could’ve done a lot better, but I didn’t feel like I did anything wrong. I’m not choking him. I’m removing him the best way I can.”

Munz took exception and began to yell. Gidron verbally countered. Fingers were pointed and expletives dropped.

What happened next shocked Gidron and many onlookers.

“As I pushed him off, he came right back and said, ‘Hey, I’ll throw your ass out of here. I’m the ref. You don’t put your f*cking hands on me.’ That’s when I said, ‘You don’t put your forearm in my throat. You don’t do that.’ That’s when he pushed me,” Gidron said.

The video appears to confirm Gidron’s account, although some of what is said can’t be heard. The part that is clear: Munz two-handed Gidron directly into the chest, and Gidron instantly retaliated with a strike.

“When he pushed me, it’s just a reflex,” Gidron said.

The boiling point created distance between the fighter and referee as the cage flooded with people that ranged from commissioners to promotion officials to cornermen.

“They disqualified me,” Gidron said. “After that, it just went crazy. They went in there. I don’t know if they thought I was going to go at him or what that was. Any fighter that goes through that, it just throws you off. It throws you completely off your game plan. It throws you completely off everything.

But that wasn’t the end.

‘Black eye’ on Arkansas combat sports

A debate began as to whether or not Gidron conducted a disqualifiable offense. After much discussion, commission officials called an audible – the fight would continue with a different referee.

That caused further confusion.

“They took both of the tapes off my gloves,” Gidron said. “I’m already knowing I messed up. Next thing, they’re like, ‘No, the fight is going to happen. A couple minutes later, they said the fight was going to happen. So they had to come in, re-tape me up, and I’m like, ‘I don’t understand.’

“They didn’t even have us finish that round out. They just jumped right to the third round.”

For reasons unknown to Gidron, the fight fast-forwarded to the final round, despite Round 2 being unfinished. Gidron went on to lose a unanimous decision, a result he and his manager Pat Wilson of Rise Sports Management Group have since appealed to the Arkansas State Athletic Commission (ASAC).

When the incident happened, Gidron said Munz was escorted out of the venue and that commission officials told him the referee would be fired.

However, the ASAC has not made it’s final determination as of this writing. According to a spokesperson, Munz’s referee license has been temporarily suspended with a hearing about potential revocation set for March 5.

MMA Junkie reached out to Munz for comment on this story. The inquiry has not been returned as of the time of publication.

“The Arkansas State Athletic Commission takes very seriously the unfortunate incident that took place (Jan. 20),” Arkansas department of labor director Ralph Hudson told MMA Junkie recently in a written statement. “It is currently reviewing the facts and will take appropriate action after a full and complete investigation.”

According to local news outlet KATV, Munz has been required to take anger management and referee refresher courses should he want to reapply, though that could be denied.

At a Jan. 30 preliminary commission meeting held to discuss the matter, one commissioner reportedly said he considered Munz to have “physically assaulted the fighter” and called the incident a “black eye” on combat sports in Arkansas.

‘I don’t want no one to lose their job’

The incident apparently wasn’t the only alleged hiccup that evening by Munz, whom the commission also mentioned had a late stoppage in which he allowed a fighter to absorb “14 unanswered strikes.”

While Munz’s license hangs in the balance of the ASAC, someone who won’t advocate for complete revocation is Gidron, who recalled Munz apologizing to him minutes after the incident prior to his exit.

“I don’t believe no one should lose their job,” Gidron said. “At the end of the day, we’re all in this for the fun. If you’re not having fun with this, you’re in the wrong sport. I don’t feel like no one should lose their job. I don’t want no one to lose their job. I don’t know if you’ve seen recently, but we’ve seen a lot of these refs not being held accountable for their mistakes. I think a suspension or something like that (would be appropriate), but I don’t want to see nobody lose their job, man. At the end of the day, he might just need to go through training. He might need to go through something to help him better do his job. But I don’t think no one should lose their job.”

“… I don’t wish no bad on nobody. At the end of the day, it was just the heat of the moment. We’re just two grown men. It was the heat of the moment and got out of control. We’re men. We shake hands and go on with our lives. I say we both made mistakes. I’m not just pointing fingers on him or fingers at me. We both made a mistake, but he shouldn’t lose his job, though.”

In the meantime, Gidron hopes the commission considers overturning the bout to a no contest given the bizarre circumstances.

“I would love to at least get this lifted off my record and at least run this back,” Gidron said. “It would definitely be a whole different ball game.”