The United States Mixed Martial Arts Federation is proud to announce Eric Whittington as our new Virginia State Director!
Eric Whittington has an extensive background in Folkstyle and Freestyle wrestling with over 20 years as high school referee in various states and as a competitor. His dedication and discipline to wrestling afforded him the opportunity to him to officiate 15 State Championships, 3 European Championships, 3 USA National Championships and 3 Reno Tournament of Champions tournaments, officiated by only the best officials from across the nation. The Reno TOC is dubbed as the “Toughest Tournament in the USA”, where wrestlers compete for a chance at High School All American status. Additionally, Eric was nominated to the Arizona Interscholastic Association Wrestling Officials Board of Directors and was regarded as a rules expert and professional trainer for all levels.
Eric is also a decorated Air Force Veteran and retired after 21 years of honorable service. Upon retirement Eric spent 7 years as a law enforcement officer and was recognized as a personable and professional communicator with community relations skills. During this time Eric pursued and achieved a Master of Public Administration Degree and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management Studies.
In 2016 Eric Whittington began his transition into MMA working and training with UMMAF. Eric began his journey in MMA by working as an event inspector, eventually rising to lead event inspector. Eric’s dedication and knowledge lead him cageside as a judge where he sharpened his knowledge of scoring criteria of MMA. Eric then became an MMA referee for UMMAF and his involvement and credentials allowed him to officiate the 2018 UMMAF National Amateur Championships, eventually leading to his selection to referee and judge the 2018 IMMAF-WMMAA Amateur World Championships in Bahrain. Eric is has been trained by the ABC as a Referee/Judge/Inspector and is currently a licensed professional and amateur MMA Official in Arizona. He and has worked for several promotions to include UFC, World Fighting Championships, King of the Cage and several others in various states and roles. He was most recently selected to officiate the 2019 IMMAF Amateur Pan American Championships in the Bahamas.
“I’m tremendously proud of Eric.” Says UMMAF Vice President Ryan Brueggeman. “When you see someone do things correctly, meaning starting at the bottom and working your way up, constantly learning and asking the right questions, being able to identify deficiencies and quickly apply fixes, that’s the guy you want on your team!” “Eric showed us his dedication early on and I respect his background very much as our paths have been very similar. I have no doubt that Eric will continue to be successful and continue to bring professionalism to the Virginia MMA and Muay Thai scene!
