A Story That Continues: Judging In MMA – The Real Issue

MMA Judging

As we all know, the judging system in MMA has to be changed. Fighters get robbed at almost every major event because of bad judging, and the athletic commissions seemingly want nothing to do with it. Despite a clear problem with both the system and the people that are using the system, the Nevada Athletic Commission for some reason is choosing to sit still and stay the course.

There are hundreds of issues that we could talk about when it comes to the state of judging in MMA, but the biggest one has to be the fact that the Nevada State Athletic Commission will not allow judges to use video or video replay while judging a fight.

This is absurd in every way. Even baseball, the sport that holds on to tradition more than any other, is now allowing instant replay. To not allow the judges to use every available tool they can get a hold of to fairly judge a contest is to say that the outcome of these fights does not matter.

As anyone that has been to a live fight and up close to the action will attest to, you can only see half of the Octagon at best when watching it live from floor seats. At UFC 129, I was convinced that Pablo Garza had dominated his fight from start to finish when he applied a flying triangle to finish the fight. It was not until the next day that I saw the real story, Garza was the one being dominated from the opening bell, but all the action was on the opposite side of the octagon and out of my line of sight.

By not allowing the judges to use televisions to assist in watching the fights, you are taking away from any human beings ability to watch and correctly judge a contest. Until something is done to move the judging system into the 21st century, we will continue to see bizarre judges’ decisions that anger and upset not just the fighters and MMA management, but all fans in general.

Source: TheCageDoctor.com