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Scoring in MMA - Fans Must Lead the Way (part two)
Written by Jack Barrington   
Monday, 09 November 2009 20:29
Takedowns, Pulling Guard and Scrambling to Your Feet Scored Equally.

Be it a natural bias toward wrestlers or simply a misjudgement on the rule-makers part, but takedowns in North American MMA have always been a sure-fire way to win a fight. I have yet to hear a convincing argument for this, and I doubt I ever will. The most commonly encountered response is always, “but you’re deciding where the fight goes.” I have no issue with this explanation, however, if we are to live by it, then successfully pulling guard and scrambling to your feet from the mat should hold the same value as taking your opponent to the floor. A big takedown that scores damage should still score points, for damage. A regular takedown, on the other hand, should hold not more weight than somebody effectively standing-up from bottom position. Again, none of these tactics generally come close to ending fights, so while I feel takedowns should be scored less favourably than landing a solid shot, or a close submission attempt, they still exercise superiority so they should be scored. They simply should not be the be all and end all as we have become begrudgingly accustomed to in the North American system.


A Clear Definition of Octagon Control.

Just what is this fabled concept? It certainly sounds important and has in fact proven to be in the past. The fact that each judge seems to have a differing opinion regarding its definition proves its evident flaw. Simply put, when judges are not scoring fights using the same criteria as one another, then something has clearly gone amiss. I will not delve into my interpretation of it, instead I will simply ask that its meaning be stringently outlined for the sake of uniform understanding among these influential officials.

I am certain that I could write for days on this subject, and even more positive that each MMA enthusiast will have a different set of issues they feel need to be closely reviewed. One thing that is clear though is that the entire MMA community knows the current system is neither accurate nor consistent, two things that "judging" criteria should always strive to be in any sport or court room.

This is not an attack on the athletic commission. No, this is merely a community that loves this sport and is constantly seeking ways to improve it for the fighters and the fans. It is time for all MMA fans to rally and let their voices be heard, we help to make this sport what it is and we are often the best qualified to dissect both what is right and wrong with it. The points listed above are simply one man’s interpretation of an entire community’s opinion of the current scoring system in MMA. I am neither arrogant, nor naïve enough to believe that the athletic commission will read this and instantly deem their scoring system to be inefficient. All of our voices together, however, may prove to be just what is needed to overhaul the current approach to scoring fights and help to conceive a clear, concise, and correct approach to determining the victor of a fight.

I ask you all, as MMA fans, to sign the attached letter to the athletic commission and request that the way fights are scored to be scrutinized as closely as it both needs and deserves to be. We may disagree on our personal preferences for how fights are scored, but I think as fans of the sport we can all agree that improvements need to be made, long overdue improvements. As truly passionate fans of this great sport, we should be willing to go to any lengths possible to see these improvements come to pass.


Please copy and paste the below letter and email it to. Make sure you write your name where it says "Your Name Here":

Nevada State Athletic Commission: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
California State Athletic Commission:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  


Scoring North American MMA; a Plea from the Fans


Dear Sirs and Madams,

This is a petition calling for a serious review of the current MMA scoring system. We, as an MMA community wish to draw attention to the serious flaws and evident shortcomings of the current judging criteria, and request a serious reconsideration and possible overhaul of how our beloved sport is scored.

It is clear that this has become a much debated subject following the controversial conclusion to UFC 104’s main event between Lyoto Machida and Mauricio Rua. We do, however, wish to emphasize that this is not the reason for this petition, it is merely a catalyst that has helped to focus awareness on what we all see as a failing system, one that requires adjustments to appropriately suit the very sport in which it governs.

This is not a criticism of your commission or even the rules you set in place, as loyal MMA enthusiasts we seek simply to improve the current system and ensure that all fighters have a fair chance should a fight fall into the judges' hands.

After much fervent discussion and debate, we have outlined several elements of the present scoring criteria that we feel need to be assessed and evaluated by qualified and competent professionals such as yourselves, in order to ascertain what exactly constitutes winning a fight.


The number of judges scoring a fight:
  • We feel that increasing the number of judges from the current three to five would decrease the possibility of human error and provide greater clarity and consistency when evaluating closely contested rounds.

The amount of 10-10 and 10-8 or less rounds scored:
  • We feel that when it is difficult to determine a winner, scoring a round 10-10 is a fairer assessment of the action, than simply giving the round to the fighter who edged it. We also feel that dominance in a round should be rewarded with more 10-8 rounds scored. It is not enough, however, just to put these measures in place; we need to also ensure that they are correctly implemented by judges.

Attempts to finish a fight vs. control:
  • We feel greater credence should be given to fighters actively trying to finish a fight when compared to those content to just control their opponent for the duration of a round.

Top position being valued so highly:
  • We feel that the aesthetic of top position is greatly overvalued in the determination of a victor. Simply put, being on top should not decide a round winner unless serious damage is being caused by the man holding that position.

Takedowns vs. Pulling Guard vs. Scrambling to your feet:
  • We feel that takedowns that do not inflict damage should be scored in the same way as pulling guard or scrambling to your feet from the bottom is. They are all after all, one fighter deciding where the fight takes place.

A clear definition of Octagon Control:
  • We feel that Octagon control needs to be clarified so that judges do not have to interpret its definition for themselves. Be it aggression, holding the center of the octagon, or controlling your opponent -- it needs to be distinct, not so ambiguous.

Proper education for real MMA judges:
  • MMA as a sport needs its own judges, not people who score boxing or point karate, but people who score MMA. These individuals need to be sufficiently educated and tested on how to interpret the scoring criteria that they are responsible for utilizing in order to determine the victors of closely contested bouts.


These are only our own objections, and to be frank, while you may not agree with the criteria outlined, we think you will all agree that the current scoring system needs to be seriously reconsidered, at the very least.

You are in your position of authority for a clear reason; you know an awful lot about what you are doing. We are neither naïve nor arrogant enough to believe that we should tell you how to do your jobs, and that is not what we are doing. All we are doing is requesting, sincerely, that the current scoring system be objectively reviewed and if need be, altered. We, as fans, have outlined what we see as the existing problems with the system, but trust you to make the appropriate judgements regarding how MMA contests should be scored.

We hereby submit our petition; it is now in your hands.

Faithfully,
Your Name Here
FightLockdown.com



Read Part One