Josh Rosenthal and MMA's Best Referees

The most important job in MMA is the referee. These men and women preside over fights, ensuring rules take place and fighters' safety comes first.

Over the years, much scrutiny has come to these impartial officials, as questionable calls and possible mistakes have been made.

Like most human beings, referees do make mistakes. But, for every "bad" referee in the business, there are also great referees who do their job with extreme professionalism and great success.

Let's take a look at the top five.

Dishonorable Mentions

Cecil Peoples: Cecil Peoples needs to get out of MMA in general. He is a terrible referee, a terrible judge and just terrible for the sport in general. He seems not to understand certain rules and aspects of mixed martial arts and is a constant head scratcher.

I hate to be so down on anybody, but this guy makes more questionable decisions than a corrupt governor. He needs to get away from MMA as soon as possible and find something else he is good at.

Kim Winslow: I am not one to agree with "King Mo" Lawal on things, as I am not a fan of him, but he is completely right in regards to Kim Winslow.

I am all for women officiating fights, but she is dangerous in the cage. After watching Lawal pummel Lorenz Larkin in and out of consciousness for an extended period of time, I became convinced that she needs to get more training before they allow her back in the cage.

Winslow is slow to pull the trigger, and one day, it could cost a fighter dearly.

#5: Mario Yamasaki

For as much flak as Mario Yamasaki drew from the Erick Silva-Carlo Prater fight, people need to realize that he is one of the best in the business.

Yamasaki is very good at allowing fighters to fight out of bad predicaments, while stopping the fight when it's obvious the fighter is defenseless.

He allows fighters time to work on the ground, and if they are not active, he resets the fight.

We should not allow an instance like the Silva-Prater fight to damper our image on an obviously credible referee.

#4: Yves Lavigne

Yves Lavigne showing his athleticism

Yves Lavigne is a fantastic referee, who does not seem to get enough credit.

That is, until now.

Lavigne calls many big fights in numerous organizations. He is does everything very well, from timely stoppages to letting fighters work in certain positions.

The UFC needs to utilize Yves Lavigne more, as he is an exceptional official (note: I know the UFC doesn't appoint officials, so state commissions need to step in and make this happen).

#3: 'Big' John McCarthy

"Big" John is one of the most respected, well-traveled referees currently in MMA.

McCarthy has been around since the early UFC days and has not stopped since. He is consistent and well informed, as he officiates fights very cleanly.

As of late, he has made a few questionable calls, but that should not damper his overall performance as one of the greatest referees in MMA.

He also exclaims, "Let's get it on!" at the beginning of each round, much to the crowd's pleasure.

#2: Josh Rosenthal

Josh Rosenthal looks like a man who should be officiating and running security on Jerry Springer.

Luckily, Rosenthal is one of the best referees MMA has to offer.

Rosenthal is the perfect mixture of fair, consistent and educated on mixed martial arts, as he seems to run each match to perfection.

The only bump on his record is allowing Tom Hardy's character in the movie Warrior to get his shoulder injured in an omoplata attempt, and still let him continue.

The only reason he comes in at No. 2 is because of the next man.

#1: Herb Dean

"Oh s**t! Stop! The fight is over!"

The man, the myth and the legend that is Herb Dean comes in at the top spot on this list.

People love to criticize Dean for some reason, often questioning calls that are truly correct.

Just simply look at the stoppage between Frank Mir and Tim Sylvia. Perfect positioning, leading to Dean saving Sylvia from more severe injury.

How about when Dean swooped in to save Mirko Cro Cop from suffering a serious ankle injury when he was knocked out by Gabriel Gonzaga?

People will continue to criticize him for stoppages like the Fedor-Henderson fight (which was a good stoppage by the way), but Herb Dean is without a shout of a doubt, the best referee in MMA today.

Leave me your feedback on if you agree or disagree, along with referees you believe belong on this list.