Clark Kent
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10-28-2009 03:00 PM:
In the past month, MMA has had two championship fights go to a decision, and fans and media have questioned the decision made by the judges in both fights. Ben Henderson and Lyoto Machida's wins prompted calls for changes in the judging system, but with MMA regulated by the same state commissions that regulate boxing, it doesn't appear that the ten-point must system is going anywhere anytime soon.
But a small change in the way fights are run could make a huge difference in the way fights are fought. Currently, judges round-by-round scores are kept secret until the end of the fight. This does nothing but cause conjecture and confusion, as was shown in the light heavyweight title fight between Machida and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Why not post the judges scores between rounds?
Few other sports require their athletes to muddle through blindly, wondering if they are winning. When working on ninth-inning strategy in the World Series, Yankees manager Joe Girardi will know if his team is in the lead.
This isn't new to combat sports, either. Wrestlers and judo players know the scores of their matches. Even Olympic boxing has a posted score.
Posting scores at the end of each round would not only be good for the fighters. Their corners would also benefit. Instead of focusing on the question, "Did my fighter win the round?" they could strategize, see what their fighter is doing right or wrong, and use the very short time in between rounds to relay strategy. No time would be wasted on telling a fighter if he or she won the round when the judges opinion would be clear.
Posting scores between rounds would not cure everything that ails MMA judging and refereeing. However, it's an easy change that could clear up any confusion that fighters and coaches have during a fight.
More...
Yahoo! Sports.
Cagewriter is an MMA blog edited by Steve Cofield.
But a small change in the way fights are run could make a huge difference in the way fights are fought. Currently, judges round-by-round scores are kept secret until the end of the fight. This does nothing but cause conjecture and confusion, as was shown in the light heavyweight title fight between Machida and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Why not post the judges scores between rounds?
Few other sports require their athletes to muddle through blindly, wondering if they are winning. When working on ninth-inning strategy in the World Series, Yankees manager Joe Girardi will know if his team is in the lead.
This isn't new to combat sports, either. Wrestlers and judo players know the scores of their matches. Even Olympic boxing has a posted score.
Posting scores at the end of each round would not only be good for the fighters. Their corners would also benefit. Instead of focusing on the question, "Did my fighter win the round?" they could strategize, see what their fighter is doing right or wrong, and use the very short time in between rounds to relay strategy. No time would be wasted on telling a fighter if he or she won the round when the judges opinion would be clear.
Posting scores between rounds would not cure everything that ails MMA judging and refereeing. However, it's an easy change that could clear up any confusion that fighters and coaches have during a fight.
More...
Yahoo! Sports.
Cagewriter is an MMA blog edited by Steve Cofield.
