Andrew Canday: What Jim Perdios Told India's MMA Referee | Superset Radio #12

Indian MMA referee Andrew Canday, one of India's only international Pro MMA referees, mechanical engineer, and third-generation crane manufacturer — joins Superset Radio in Bangalore ahead of Elite Contender Series 1, where he's officiating 18 fights. Andrew talks about growing up in Maharashtra, starting boxing in the seventh grade at a military school, transitioning into wrestling, jiu jitsu, and MMA, and fighting in local gym wars before getting his first refereeing break at Super Fight League at 21. He shares how he self-funded his way to the Asian Championship in Kyrgyzstan, got picked first by both head referees, and earned his spot on the international circuit — traveling to Thailand, Netherlands, Indonesia, Nigeria, Serbia, and the African Games where MMA was introduced as a sport for the first time. We get into what it's really like inside the cage as a referee — why no one likes you in there, why surviving is not intelligent defending, what happens when a fighter is a dick to you before the fight, and the mental pressure of knowing one side will always hate your decision. Andrew breaks down the three Ds of judging — damage, dominance, and duration — and why being a judge is easy compared to refereeing. He tells the full story of working under Jim Perdios at CFN Bali — the referee Indians don't like for stopping the Anshul Jubli fight — and what Perdios said to him when his very first assignment was an Indian fighter, Vridhi Kumari. Plus the state of Indian MMA promotions exploding across the country, AI coaches coming for the sport, the Bonnar vs Griffin fight that changed MMA forever, why Mark Goddard is the best referee alive, and his dream of UFC coming to India. Plus food from Bunco Bakery — Chocolate Chip Cookies and their Ultimate Fried Chicken Burger— and a ref nickname he's going to regret sharing on camera. *** Join the community on Instagram Superset Radio:   / supersetradio   Andrew Canday:   / andrewcanday   Elite Contender Series:   / elitecontenderseries   Order everything we ate on this episode from Bunco Bakery:   / bunco.bakery   *** Timestamps: 00:00 - 00:42 - Cold Open 00:42 - 02:07 - Introduction & Who Is Andrew Canday 02:07 - 04:33 - ECS 1 & Weigh-Ins 04:33 - 06:10 - Best Seat in the House? 06:10 - 07:20 - A Checklist of Your Wrongs 07:20 - 09:25 - Judging vs Refereeing 09:25 - 11:50 - Early Stoppages & Kamaru Usman's African Knockout 11:50 - 14:19 - Growing Up in Maharashtra & Boxing 14:19 - 17:50 - Super Fight League & First Break 17:50 - 19:03 - 700+ Fights & Getting Reps 19:03 - 20:30 - Bunco Bakery Food Segment 20:30 - 25:45 - International Journey: Kyrgyzstan to Africa 25:45 - 27:25 - United World Wrestling & Serbia 27:25 - 29:07 - Jim Perdios, CFN Bali & the Vridhi Kumari Story 29:07 - 31:00 - International vs Indian Scene & Sports Politics 31:00 - 34:35 - Indian MMA's Rise & Promotions Boom 34:35 - 38:28 - Mindset, Nerves & Bruce Buffer Stretching 38:28 - 40:49 - Training Routine & Grappling vs Striking 40:49 - 43:44 - Community Q&A: Bias, Scoring & the 3 Ds 43:44 - 45:03 - How to Become an MMA Referee 45:03 - 46:28 - Stage Fright & Confidence 46:28 - 50:06 - Sweet Candy & the Airport Fan Story 50:06 - 52:10 - Rapid Fire 52:10 - 54:40 - Max Holloway, Charles vs Max & Lightweight Division 54:40 - 57:52 - Dream Fight: Bonnar vs Griffin 57:52 - 59:59 - AI Coaches & the Future of MMA 59:59 - 01:03:05 - Nicknames, Walkout Songs & Underrated Fighters 01:03:05 - 01:05:44 - Ten Years From Now & UFC in India 01:05:44 - 01:07:42 - Closing *** #IndianMMA #MMAIndia #AndrewCanday