Meet the Cork dad and MMA ref who stands between the world’s most dangerous fighters

A Cork MMA ref has just made history after stepping into the Octagon for ferocious bouts between top-level fighters in Paris.

Dad of two Derek Hickey from Togher is no stranger to the world of MMA, having trained for over 15 years at the Northside’ SBG fighting club. He’s been in love with the sport since his first session – but he never dreamed that one day he’d trade his sparring gloves for a ref’s whistle.

It all started after he nabbed tickets for the featherweight match-up between Conor McGregor and Diego Brandão in Dublin back in 2014. After the big event, he attended a seminar run by top UFC referee Marc Goddard – hoping for a photo with him and to learn more about the rules. But by the time it was over, Derek left with a newfound respect for reffing and a friendship with Goddard that would later catapult him into the big leagues.

He said: “Yeah, being a referee was never really the plan and there was no formal qualification for it when I started out. After the seminar, my own club started asking me to ref for them and I also stepped in for a few martial arts events in Neptune Stadium. I did a 2-day course in Belfast in 2016 and after that I started getting picked for competitions abroad.”

Derek was headhunted by the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) and started making a few bob reffing for major competitions – all while keeping his security job at a pharmaceutical company in Ringaskiddy. He soon became a respected regulator in MMA circles and earned the IMMAF’s World Official of the Year Award in 2019.

All this led to his latest event in Paris, where he served as a referee in the biggest MMA event ever overseen by an Irish official. Derek took charge of four matches in a 12-fight line-up that finished with a gripping brawl between two-time kickboxing champ Cédric Doumbé and Professional Fighting League (PFL) newcomer Baissangour Chamsoudinov.

The Cork man praised his mentor Goddard for recommending him for the event, even saying the Scotsman took him aside on the night to ease his nerves before the first match.

“I start getting nervous on the build-up to events like this. I think my wife feels it a little more than I do! You’re just thinking that there’ll be 20,000 people watching you live, and if you make a mistake it’ll be plastered all over the internet tomorrow.

“Marc Goddard pulled me aside and told me I deserved to be there and was good enough to be there. He told me to ‘get in, treat it like every other fight you ever refereed and stay calm’.

“Once you enter the Octagon then, the whole world fades away and all you notice is the fighters – the look in their eyes, the way they’re breathing. Your first focus is always on their safety, and then you want to make sure it’s a fair fight. Once both fighters leave the cage okay, that’s all that matters.”

Derek is incredibly passionate about the sport and loves working as a referee – but he admits that some days he thinks of “packing it all in”. On top of the regular travel and being forced to spend time away from family, the Cork man’s biggest gripe with the job is how referees are treated on social media.

“During fights we only have a split second to make the right decision. You’d see it online afterwards and people would be replaying moments seven times using instant replay, but we don’t have that. There’s a lot of things we’re keeping an eye on.

“Thankfully, I don’t think I’ve gotten much slack on social media but I know others who have. I just try not to pay attention to comments.”

Derek is almost 41 years old and admits his days of competing are nearly over, but he’s delighted to stay involved in the MMA through his work as a referee. He currently serves as the head official at the Irish Mixed Martial Arts Association, where he regularly trains new regulators and ensures proper safety measures are in place in competitions across the country.

He’s still a big fan of doing ref work in Ireland too – saying that even though he barely breaks even working i local competitions he’s still happy to take part and keep the sport alive. Derek’s next event takes place – Cage Legacy 21 – takes place this Sunday March 24 at the Pillo Hotel in Ashbourne.

Hickey’s next show is closer to home, as he will lead the team of Irish officials at in Ashbourne, Co Meath, on March 21st, where Irish featherweight fan favourite Richie Smullen will take on Kirill Medvedovsky in the main event.