Who is the UFC referee with the trademark long beard?

Mike Beltran has captured the attention of MMA and UFC fans for quite some time with his exceptionally long beard. The well-groomed, iconic beard is nearly two feet long and almost manages to touch Beltran's waist.

In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Beltran clarified that the collection of long hair on his face is a mustache, not a beard.

In the interview, Beltran also revealed that he had been growing the now iconic mustache for more than 13 years. The veteran referee shared that he hated shaving and that was one of the reasons why he started growing out his facial hair.

47-year-old Mike Beltran has been working as an MMA and UFC referee for more than a decade. He trained as a boxer for years before switching to reffing. He also holds a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Beltran recently officiated the main event of Bellator 263, which saw A.J. McKee defeat Patricio Freire to become the new featherweight champion.

Beltran did a good job of stopping the fight at the right time when 'Pitbull' was locked in a standing guillotine choke.

Mike Beltran was also the referee for the highly-anticipated rematch between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno at UFC 263. Moreno submitted the Brazilian fighter in the third round and became the first Mexican-born UFC champion that night.

At UFC 241, people noticed something odd about Beltran. The referee was officiating the middleweight fight between Derek Brunson and Ian Heinisch when people speculated whether Beltran had cut his beard.

Later, MMA journalist Marc Raimondi cleared up the confusion, saying Beltran was asked to tuck his facial hair inside his t-shirt.

UFC referee Mike Beltran also has an acting career

Apart from his career as an MMA referee, Mike Beltran has also ventured into the world of acting. He was recently playing the character of President Ibarra in the show Mayans FC. The show is a spin-off of the cult classic series Sons of Anarchy.

Before, the 47-year-old also appeared in the show Kingdom, in the role of a referee.

About the author

Puneet has a total of 2.5 years of experience and specializes in reporting on MMA and boxing for Sportskeeda. He holds a postgraduate diploma in Journalism & Mass Communication, which aided him in his writing skills.

The iconic interim featherweight title fight between Conor McGregor and Chad Mendes at UFC 189 in 2015 ignited Puneet’s passion for the sport. Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira stands out as Puneet’s favorite MMA fighter as he's drawn to 'Do Bronx's' captivating background story and entertaining persona. He is a believer of MMA being the world’s no.1 combat sport as opposed to Boxing.

While writing, Puneet ensures that his articles stay true to their titles and deliver valuable information to readers. He emphasizes the importance of embedding videos or pictures directly from their original sources to enrich the reader's experience.

Puneet’s professional achievements include covering major events such as UFC 264 and several boxing matches featuring renowned fighters like Canelo Alvarez, Tyson Fury, and Anthony Joshua.

Beyond MMA, Puneet likes to watch movies.

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