Watched the last UFC card with some buddies and we were screaming at the TV during the main event decision. The wrong guy won and everybody knew it except apparently the judges.
This happens every single card now. At least one fight gets scored in a way that makes zero sense. The 10-point must system is the problem — a round where one guy lands two more jabs scores the same as a round with a knockdown. How does that make sense?
The judges don't even have consistent criteria. Some of them score takedowns like they're worth gold even when the guy on top does nothing. Others don't care about cage control at all. You'd think after 30 years of doing this they could agree on how to score a fight.
Open scoring would fix a lot of it. If a fighter knows he's down on the cards going into round 3 he'll actually push the pace instead of coasting. And it would expose the bad judges immediately instead of hiding the damage until the final decision.
I've started muting the TV when they read the scorecards because I can't deal with the disappointment anymore. Anyone else just assume every close fight is going to the wrong person?
Open scoring would fix 80% of the problems overnight. If a fighter knows they are down 2 rounds, they fight harder in the third. It rewards action.