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Judges, not the scoring system, are the problem with the UFC

Roar Rookie
25th April, 2014
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GSP is back! Well, in headlines anyway (Image via FUEL TV)
Roar Rookie
25th April, 2014
17

The UFC has had some controversial decisions over the years. Many hardcore MMA fans say that you should either knock-out or submit the champion if you want to win the title.

However, I must admit that this does seem a little overboard. If a challenger has completely outclassed their opponent, then they should deservedly be the victor. Unfortunately though, this is not always the case.

The issue is not with the 10-point scoring system, it is with the judges. They are so reluctant to score anything other than 10-9 round. Seeing a 10-8 round is rare and a 10-7 is like seeing a unicorn.

This is of course not including any point deductions that may have occurred. Why have a 1-10 point system if it will almost always going to be scored 10-9? If a fighter has completely outclassed the opponent during a round, then it does not seem practical that the opponent should receive a 9.

Lyoto Machida’s win over Shogun at UFC 104 is one of the best examples of highway robbery. More recent outings such as Benson Henderson’s win over Frankie Edgar at UFC 150, Jon Jones win over Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 and Georges Saint-Pierre’s victory of Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 are also questionable.

And sure, the champions had good outings as well, but many fans argue they were beaten on the day. It appears as if the judges go into such fights with the mindset that you must dominate the title holder to win the round.

MMA is certainly difficult to judge as there are so many components to it. With kicking, punching, elbowing, takedowns, submissions, cage control and aggression being some of many things taken into consideration, it is easy to see why there may be the occasional blunder.

Is a takedown better than a solid head kick? Is a foot stomp better than a jab? These are some of the many things judges must consider during the course of the fight.

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Judges need to be willing to score more 10-8, 10-7 and even 10-6 rounds if the competitor has been poor enough. This would help to fix some of the controversial decisions we have become accustomed to over the years.

I am not saying this is the be all and end all of solutions, but it certainly seems more practical than what we as fans are subjected to at the moment.

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