In recent years, there has been an increasing amount of controversy surrounding judging and scoring in the UFC. Fans and fighters alike have voiced their frustration with certain decisions that have been made, leading to a debate about what changes need to be made to improve the system.
One common complaint is that 10-8 rounds should be more regular. Currently, judges are often hesitant to award a 10-8 round unless one fighter has completely dominated the other. However, many fans and analysts argue that there are plenty of rounds where one fighter clearly wins, but not to the extent that they should be awarded a 10-9 round. By increasing the frequency of 10-8 rounds, judges could more accurately reflect the level of dominance displayed by each fighter.
Several recent fights have been the subject of controversy, including Marvin Vettori vs Roman Dolidze, Lerone Murphy vs Gabriel Santos, and Maycee Barber vs Andrea Lee. The most recent example of this was Marlon Vera's 3 rounds won against Cory Sandhagen. These
decisions have sparked discussions about how to score fights more accurately.
JK suggested that half points could be awarded (e.g. 10-9.5 instead of 10-9) to better reflect the level of control and aggression displayed by each fighter. However, I argued that 10-8 rounds and 10-7 rounds should be awarded more frequently to more accurately reflect the level of domination displayed in some rounds.
Another point of debate is how to score grappling versus striking. Some argue that judges should place more emphasis on grappling, while others believe that striking should be given more weight in the scoring process. Additionally, there is a discussion about how submission attempts should be scored. Currently, some judges award points for submission attempts, while others do not.
Some organizations have attempted to address these issues by scoring entire fights rather than round by round. This approach allows judges to better evaluate the overall performance of each fighter rather than focusing solely on each individual round. However, this approach also has its own set of challenges and has not been universally adopted.
Finally, there is a discussion about whether or not referees should stand fighters back up if they are not being active enough on the ground. Some argue that this would incentivize fighters to be more aggressive and make the fight more exciting, while others argue that it would unfairly disadvantage fighters who specialize in grappling.
Overall, there are many different factors to consider when it comes to judging and scoring in the UFC. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, it is clear that changes need to be made in order to make the system more accurate and fair. By increasing the frequency of 10-8 rounds, awarding half points, and placing more emphasis on grappling, judges can better evaluate each fighter's performance and make more accurate decisions. Additionally, organizations may want to consider scoring entire fights rather than individual rounds in order to provide a more comprehensive evaluation of each fighter's performance.
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