FCF Survey

Shirley

In light of recent controversial judging performances (the 29-29 score by judge Dalby Shirley in the Evans/Bonnar fight at Ultimate Fight Night comes to mind … you know, the one where commentator Joe Rogan said that the judge who scored that fight a draw should be shot.), we wanted your thoughts on the officiating/judging process overall. Do you feel that fight officials are being properly trained? Do some states do better than others in the process of recruiting/training/licensing? Should judges and referees be required to take standardized training courses and tests that are specific to MMA officiating? Should judges/referees experienced in other sports like boxing and kickboxing be automatically licensed as MMA officials with little or no training in the new sport due to their pre-existing knowledge and experience in the other sports? Should officials be held accountable for bad calls (we already know how Joe Rogan would handle it, but what do YOU think should be the process for reviewing/handling bad judgments by officials)? After all, these calls affect fighters’ livelihoods and careers. We’d like to hear your thoughts and ideas on the process as it exists today and how it might be improved upon. The results of the survey and some of the commentary we receive may appear in the upcoming issue of FCF.