Referee Josh Rosenthal Handed 37 Month Prison Sentence For Marijuana Charges

Referee Josh Rosenthal has been handed a 37 month prison sentence in California after pleading guilty to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana, and possession with intent to distribute.

He has no chance of early parole and upon completion of his sentence he’ll face a further three years of supervised release.

By pleading guilty to the charges laid against him Rosenthal managed to avoid a potential 10 year sentence and $10 million fine.

Rosenthal was arrested last year after police raided a warehouse belonging to him that housed 1,356 marijuana plants with a street value of aproximately $6 million.

The long-time referee is a familiar face at UFC events and is widely considered to be one of the better officials in the sport.

Ross launched MMA Insight (previously FightOfTheNight.com) in 2009 as a way to channel his passion for the sport of mixed martial arts. He's since penned countless news stories and live fight reports along with dozens of feature articles as the lead writer for the site, reaching millions of fans in the process.