Nevada Athletic Commission Approves Instant Replay for MMA
by Kid Nate on Aug 19, 2009 4:52 PM EDT
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MMA Weekly reports:
According to a new rule passed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission Wednesday, referees in Nevada now have the opportunity to get a second look at a fight's end to determine its legality.
The final wording as passed: "A referee at the conclusion of a contest or exhibition stopped immediately due to an injury to an unarmed combatant pursuant to NAC 467.718 and after making a decision, may view a replay if available in order to determine whether the injury in question was caused a legal blow or a foul."
The rule addresses several controversial stoppages in recent history where a fighter lost a contest because the referee couldn't see an injury that forced a bout's stoppage.
A referee may now use instant replay to determine whether the action that caused the injury was legal or a foul and make a decision on the fight's result. Only a referee can decide whether to order a replay.
The ruling could take effect in as little as 30 days.
Fans will remember the controversy that followed the first Kevin Burns vs Anthony Johnson bout at UFC Fight Night 14 in July 2008. Burns repeatedly poked Johnson in the eye and ultimately was awarded a TKO win immediately after a brutal poke right in the eye that necessitated surgery for a detached retina. The NSAC ruled shortly afterwards that they had no mechanism in place for overturning a fight outcome in such an instance.
Happily Johnson got his revenge with a KO victory at the TUF 8 season finale.
This ruling is a major step in the right direction although it will be very interesting to see how it works in application. I seem to remember the NFL struggling with the implementation of instant replay for several years and I'm not even sure if they ever got it right since I no longer watch football or care.
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Good.
Mustapha al-Turk also thanks them.
Shameless self-promotion! http://twitter.com/scb0212
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Aug 19, 2009 4:54 PM EDT reply actions
that raises an interesting question
since the UFC is the de facto commission for european events (or is that just for UK events) will they bring the Nevada rules with them?
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I would think so...
they weren’t too pleased with the Burns/Johnson fight result.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Aug 20, 2009 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions
thank you
not enough people bring up al-Turk getting screwed in his fight against Crocop.
by polevaultking on Aug 19, 2009 7:42 PM EDT up reply actions
First round headbutted Hughes form Hughes vs. Serra is a little more comfortable too.
by TheConcreteKid on Aug 19, 2009 8:17 PM EDT up reply actions
This wouldn’t affect something like that, they can only go to replay after the fight is over to look at the blow that ended the fight.
Thats why I said “is a little more comfortable” because had the ref stopped that fight after Hughes was headbutted, this rule would over turn that
by TheConcreteKid on Aug 20, 2009 10:15 AM EDT up reply actions
yeah, its definitely going to be interesting to see how instant replay is going to be utilized. could it be used for an early stoppage?
i remember reading somewhere else
that they won’t use it for that, its only going to be used in cases where a fight was stopped, and its was a direct result of an illegal blow.
by Austin Martin on Aug 19, 2009 5:06 PM EDT up reply actions
the fight will NOT be restarted...
it’s just to determine if the stoppage was on a foul (accidental or intentional) or a strike/etc
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by Brent Brookhouse on Aug 20, 2009 1:25 PM EDT up reply actions
the ref's decision on an early stoppage...
will stand.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Aug 20, 2009 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions
ahh
okay. i was curious of the extent of how the replay would work. i would be odd to see a fight stopped early and then restarted.
Regarding the NFL
the initial problems they had were who could initiate the review and for how long the referee would be permitted to review the tape before play could resume. To be honest, I see both of those problems creeping up right in this review process as well. If the ref didn’t see the foul to begin with, how often would he/she review the tape afterwards?
I agree 100%
If the ref is the only one who can initiate a reveiw, why would he, if he thinks he got it right the first time?? How is the ref gonna know he muffed a call??
"I used to do drugs, I still do, but I used to, too!!!!" - Mitch Hedberg
by Akiyama Sexyomama on Aug 19, 2009 5:16 PM EDT up reply actions
When the crowd boos and Rogan calls bs, the referee will know it’s time.
A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who
by thetakeover on Aug 19, 2009 5:36 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
so will the commission use the ufc video feed?
or will they have their own cameras on site?
i agree with the nfl comparison. the old replay system was BRUTAL. hopefully they set a time limit for reviews, and do it in a closed environment, so the fighters and their cornermen aren’t right there trying to influence the decision process.
will be interesting to see how they’ll announce altered results as well… whether it’ll be a twiddle your thumbs and wait situation, or they’ll just announce during the next fight that “the result of _ has been changed to”.
even with some inevitable kinks, it’s certainly a step in the right direction.
Last time I checked a square has four sides.
by Zack Gobie on Aug 19, 2009 7:22 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Unarmed Combatant?!?
Many good points are raised here, hooray (finally) for technology.
In the wording of the rule, it states that the ref can stop the fight due to “injury to an unarmed combatant…” Unarmed?!?
What the hell is the purpose of that word in the context of the rule? I’m pretty sure the majority of sports overseen by the NSAC are unarmed.
I wanna see the rules for an armed combatant!! lol :D
"I used to do drugs, I still do, but I used to, too!!!!" - Mitch Hedberg
by Akiyama Sexyomama on Aug 19, 2009 5:20 PM EDT up reply actions
If it’s a rule that applies to boxing, kickboxing, and mma, it’s probably easier to type “unarmed combatant” than boxer/kickboxer/mixed martial artist.
So does that mean the rule only applies to Kyle Maynard?
by Zack Gobie on Aug 19, 2009 7:23 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
Oh no you didn’t!
'He built his whole reputation as a waffle house chef. They’ve been serving him up ham and eggs with a side of canned tomatoes' - Don Frye on Fedor Emelianenko
by Well Read Idiot on Aug 20, 2009 6:34 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Can they instant replay Diego's Entrance
For Legality of Diego being clinically nuts?
YUS!
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"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
In the words of Mills Lane
“I’ll allow it.”
by rzor on Aug 19, 2009 5:15 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Let's ask Diego about this one, will they allow it Diego?
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
nope
used to
but after Troy Aikman retired I noticed I was sleeping through more games than I watched so I just cut out the middleman and starting taking sunday afternoon naps.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
How Can You...
…Turn you back on a beautiful game. I am Canadian and still ridiculously pumped about the upcoming NFL Season. Hopefully someday Nate you see the light and what you are missing.
I can’t watch pro football either. Too many breaks.
Keep firing Assholes!
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I watch the Super Bowl, specifically for the breaks in the action =D
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
I was stuck on a carrier
for two Super Bowls. Since they were being broadcast on the Armed Forces Network, they couldn’t show any US commercials. Nor could they even show European commercials. Instead they showed god awful, military commercials about different states and UCMJ statutes. Nothing drove home the point that usually the Super Bowl was the most boring, one sided NFL game of the year than having terrible PBS style commercials at the breaks. Between missing most of the regular season and the playoffs, the Navy nearly destroyed my love of the game…
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"
by UMBC Oriole fan on Aug 20, 2009 7:41 AM EDT up reply actions
Is this only for eye pokes??
what about the finishing illegal hits to the back of the head against Amir vs Hendricks and Thompson vs Kennedy?
both those ended with illegal strikes.
"I’m not going to stop yelling because that would mean, I lost the fight!"-Kenny Powers
shooter/cutter for AllElbows.com
I believe it would work for any stoppage
that may have been due to illegal blows.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
interesting…
i wonder
1) who is allowed to ask for the reply? the judges? ref? losing camp?
2) does the replay have to prove the original call was wrong? like in football? or is the replay seen as an equal with the original call?
3) can you ask for a replay for, say an eye poke, mid match that the ref did not see? and if the eye poke was not seen on camera? what is the “punishment” for asking for a replay? like in football when you lose your timeout if the call is not overturned.
"I’m not going to stop yelling because that would mean, I lost the fight!"-Kenny Powers
shooter/cutter for AllElbows.com
They say it’s only when a fight is stopped “if the referee determines that the contest or exhibition is too one-sided or if either unarmed combatant is in such a condition that to continue might subject the unarmed combatant to serious injury.”
So it will only be if the fight is declared over due to an injury. I’m not sure if that means every single TKO or not. I don’t see why there would be any penalty for looking. It can only be done at the end of a fight, and just to determine if it’s a TKO/KO or if the hit was illegal. If the hit was illegal, then I guess they’d have to determeine whether it was accidental or intentional, and then rule it either a DQ/NC/go to the scorecards depending on the timing.
It can only be done at the end of a fight, and just to determine if it’s a TKO/KO or if the hit was illegal.
this will be interesting, like what if an eye poke occurs, say 30 seconds before the final beatdown?
all in all, i think this is a good move, but the rules to use it NEED to be very specific.
"I’m not going to stop yelling because that would mean, I lost the fight!"-Kenny Powers
shooter/cutter for AllElbows.com
it is very specific.
It says it can only be when the fight is stopped, it says only the ref can initiate replay, what else do you want?
I really hope they don't overuse this
Fact is, almost any T/KO that ends with a flurry is gonna end with at least one shot to the back of the head. Problem is, it usually don’t matter by that point.
I just get the feeling that if they had instant replay, Kimbo never woulda lost.
This makes no sense at all. If they are going to use this only when one fighter is injured then presumably there is no chance of restarting the fight.
If all it will do it move it from a W to a DQ or NC then why not just have the commission look at the tape later rather than do it on live PPV.
That one guy who is always worried about the length of the shows from Dana’s video blog is gonna shit his pants.
I dislike Matt Hughes.
Upon further review
Chuck Liddell was hit illegally in both the Evans and Shogun fights. I hereby rule those fight a no contest.
This is absolutely the stupidest idea to come to MMA in years. Now every freaking fighter is going to demand a replay to parse the tape for anything that could reverse the loss. Great, just opened the door for BJ Penn’s rubber guard feet slipping off GSP’s greased back to reverse the fight results.
If I guy gets poked in the eye and losses while the ref does not catch it, tough shit! It’s a fight . . . schedule a rematch if you think the ref swayed the results.
It won’t have that far of a reach, It is limited to the blow that ended the fight due to an injury. So take Brock Lesnar vs Randy Couture for example, this would be irrelevant to that because the blow behind his ear wasn’t actually the blow that stopped the fight. Basically this will only affect situations like the Burns vs Johnson fight where the very last blow was obviously questionable.
Also...
it’s not an illegal blow if you land to the back of the head in direct action. For example…if you throw a punch at me and I throw a counter shot and slip your punch…if you spin around and my already thrown punch lands to the back of your head…technically that isn’t illegal.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Aug 20, 2009 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
This is an important point that I think a lot of people don’t get.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Aug 20, 2009 8:47 PM EDT up reply actions
People get it
They just don’t like it when it happens to their favorite fighter.
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.
Okay guys…look.
1) this is ONLY a situation that ends the fight. a foul earlier in the fight isn’t going to be reviewed via replay.
2) I’m pretty sure that if a fighter is knocked down by a punch and in the finishing flurry the attacking fighter lands a shot to the back of the head it isn’t going to suddenly become a DQ.
Let’s not overreact to this news by making up situations that are outside of what the rule will actually affect.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Aug 20, 2009 1:30 PM EDT reply actions
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