mma judging Stories - Bloody Elbow
UFC 136 Results: Frankie Edgar Saved Us From Controversy
Let's play "what if?" for a moment. Imagine Frankie Edgar doesn't land the uppercut that sent Gray Maynard stumbling back toward the fence. The round ends with Edgar taking his third decisive round. Maynard, after hearing an earful from his corner about his offensive output, comes out spirited in...
Half Point Scoring System Won't Transform Judging Without Competence
The half-point scoring system, which is currently in an experimental phase in California's amateur ranks, has been heralded by some as a means to revolutionizing the judging aspects of mixed martial arts. As most MMA fans have come to realize, there is a huge disparity between how a fight actually...
UFC 132: Urijah Faber Talks Judging
Former WEC featherweight champ Urijah Faber lost a hard-fought unanimous decision to UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz at UFC 132. Although they all saw the fight for Cruz, none of the three ringside judges scored the fight the same: 50-45, 49-46 and 48-47. Faber spoke to Bruce Buffer about...
Revisiting the Rewritten Judging Criteria in the MMA Unified Rules
Back in November of 2009, I attempted a rewrite of the judging criteria in the Unified Rules. I believed then, and I still believe now, that the current judging criteria complicates what should be a fairly intuitive process. Mike Goldberg sings his refrain -- effective striking, grappling,...
UFC 131 Results: Dana White and the Long, Slippery Slope of Decisions
It's fortunate that UFC 131 ended with only one fight truly marred by judges. Two fights -- Kenny Florian vs. Diego Nunes and Demian Maia vs. Mark Munoz -- featured a 30-27 scorecard despite the losing fighter clearly winning at least one round. Another fight -- the opener between Michihiro Omigawa...
UFC 131 Results: Brainless Judging Prominent Despite Cageside Monitors
Back on May 11th, the Vancouver Athletic Commission approved a motion by the UFC to allow the use of cageside monitors by judges to more accurately view the action inside the Octagon. The move was the product of constant complaints from fans, media, and even Dana White himself about the rash of bad...
UFC 130 Aftermath: Johnson vs Torres Under Submission Grappling Scoring
Judging a fight is a thankless task. Get it right and no one pays a blind bit of notice, but get it wrong and all sorts of people will be calling for your head. On first watch of the Miguel Torres vs Demetrious Johnson fight I had scored the first two rounds to Torres and the last round to Johnson...
Press Row with Sherdog's Jordan Breen: Fixing the Officiating Crisis in MMA
Last night I was on Press Row with Jordan Breen on Sherdog.com to discuss problems with officiating and judging in MMA. It's an oft-discussed topic, but honestly, one I haven't written much about. Like most people, I've wailed and complained with each and every horribly rendered decision, late...
Nam Phan's Decision Loss Should Spark Call for Commission Accountability
Joe Rogan said it best during The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale tonight. Keith Kizer and the Nevada State Athletic Commission need to be held accountable for the incompetence displayed during the opening featherweight battle between Nam Phan and Leonard Garcia. After three rounds of Phan essentially...
Showing 1 - 10 of 34 Next
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
