MMA judging is broken and last nights scorecard proved it — when will commissions fix this

another night, another terrible scorecard.

im not going to name the specific fight because you already know which one im talking about. every MMA fan saw it. one fighter clearly won rounds 1, 2, and 4 by significant margin — more strikes landed, more takedowns, more octagon control. the other fighter won round 3 convincingly and had a close round 5.

the decision: split decision for the fighter who LOST 3 of 5 rounds on every media scorecard.

this is not an isolated incident. bad judging has plagued MMA since the beginning and its getting WORSE not better.

the problems:

• judges are often not trained in MMA. many come from boxing backgrounds and dont know how to score grappling
• the 10-point must system was designed for boxing and does not work for MMA where rounds can be won in completely different phases (striking vs grappling vs clinch)
• judges sit cageside at one angle and miss significant action. they dont have monitors showing replays
• there is ZERO accountability. a judge who turns in a terrible scorecard faces no consequences

proposed fixes:

1. open scoring after each round (fighters know where they stand, forces urgency)
2. additional judges (5 instead of 3 reduces outlier impact)
3. require MMA-specific training and testing for all judges
4. half-point scoring (10-9.5 for close rounds, 10-9 for clear rounds, 10-8 for dominant rounds)
5. instant replay review for controversial decisions

the reality: commissions move at the speed of government because they ARE government. athletic commissions are state agencies with zero incentive to innovate. nothing changes unless the UFC demands it and the UFC benefits from controversy generating conversation.

when was the last scorecard that made you want to throw your TV out the window?