Boom, headshot

Jason Probst has a good piece on illegal elbows up on Sherdog.com.  Here are some of the interesting excerpts:

In a June 10 article on Sherdog.com, McCarthy questioned the deduction for Marquardt's elbows at UFC 85, which landed close to the ear but not directly in the rear of the skull along what McCarthy explained as a "Mohawk" shaped-area.

According to Dean, McCarthy's "Mohawk" definition is incorrect, and that the illegal area begins behind the ears in a sort of headphone-like arc, essentially cutting the head in two zones -- legal and illegal.

A referee for nine years, Dean says that the "Mohawk" definition defining the illegal area has been replaced by a de facto verbal agreement between referees and commission officials in states such as California and Nevada.

Nevada-based referee Steve Mazzagatti, however, cited adherence to the "Mohawk" zone, but believes the difference between the two definitions is nil.

...

"I explain that to fighters, if I catch them targeting the back of the head, I will take a point with no warning," Mazzagatti said. "I hold a cell phone right to base of my skull (to explain the foul area). If the guy's falling on the ground and he turns his head, that's his fault, but if you hit it again, that your fault. If you can't land another legal blow using the elbow, you have to find another strike to use. That Mohawk area is off-limits."

Mazzagatti added that the Nevada rules also state that anything below the ears, anywhere is illegal since it is considered an attack on the spinal column. He also said that a restart into the standing position is one option instead of a deduction.

The article also mentions the upcoming Association of Boxing Commissioners meeting which could help bring a more standardized, clear definition of the rule.

Mazzagatti's explanation of the viable penalties for an illegal elbow might be overlooked by some, but is actually pretty interesting.  Being stood up into a neutral position is much less severe than a point deduction.  Unlike a 12 round boxing match, a point deduction in a non-title MMA bout has huge implications on the scoring of the fight.  Yet, we've seen quick point deductions in such high-profile fights as Lesnar/Mir and Marquardt/Leities. 

A better punishment system would be something similar to a "three strike" rule.  First offense is a verbal warning.  Second offense is the fight being stood or broken up into a neutral position.  Third offense is a point deduction.  By standardizing punishment, a fighter knows exactly where he stands and it takes a lot of the guess work out of the referees hands.