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Female ref commands respect in center of cage

Winslow careful to set fighters at ease prior to bouts

Mixed martial arts fans are accustomed to seeing the same faces in the referee rotation on major cards, but a new official stood out on the World Extreme Cagefighting event at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Kim Winslow, a Reno resident who officiated two fights on Sunday's card, is believed to be the only professional female MMA referee in the United States.


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  • In a sport that runs on pure testosterone, Winslow said she has felt easily accepted.

    "They've always been very respectful," she said of the fighters. "You set that up in your prefight meetings, so it's not like the first time they see you is in the cage. You let them know this is not my first fight. In fact I've probably done more fights than they've been in. I've never had a problem."

    Winslow officiated many amateur fights and is sanctioned in several states, including New Jersey and Oregon.

    While she has worked several cards, including some with greater attendance, Sunday marked the most-viewed event Winslow has worked. It aired live nationally on Versus.

    Winslow, a former air traffic controller, became interested in MMA during the early days of the sport.

    "I started out training and I've been a fan since it started airing. I've watched it evolve from the beginning," she said.

    She feels the rules and attention to detail in her previous career helped make the transition to officiating fairly smooth.

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    Katrina wrote on June 22, 2009 11:45 AM: Kate Winslow is definitely an inspiration to not just females ref's, but all MMA referees. And there are other certified female MMA ref's out there - we just aren't in Nevada! ;-)

    Kudos to Kate for helping to break the glass ceiling for us...


    Gail DeVerter wrote on August 05, 2008 05:24 PM: I am very pleased to see a woman officiating. I feel I can be more a part of the audience now. Before I felt it was just male dominated. Thank you for letting women in.