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Quotable Quotes
Charles "Mask" Lewis - "Do greatness -- leave average to the lazy.”
“I just want to mean something someday. Be more than someone who could have been, hopefully more than meets the eye, more than face paint, someone that will honestly make you proud.”
Referee Marc Wasem - "Touch gloves, go back to your gloves. Uh, corners." – (giving the final instructions to Torres and Mizugaki)
Instant replay in sports is nothing new - but it is new to MMA. Even though the State of New Jersey approved the use of instant replay a couple of years ago (or more), it has only been used a couple of times.
If the Illinois State Athletic Commission had already approved it, Referee Mario Yamasaki may not have disqualified Erick Silva for hitting Carlo Prater on the back of the head at UFC 142 this past weekend, and the fight may have ended differently.
Yamasaki is a great MMA ref, and a very classy guy. Per BloodyElbow.com, he was a guest on Portal do Vale Tudo's podcast yesterday and addressed the subject of instant replay, which was not available to the referees at UFC 142 in Brazil:
"To err is human and it is no shame to admit that you made a mistake and change your opinion." he stated. "I think it is great for the referees (the new rule) and give us an opportunity the take a better look in what happened and finally make our decision. The athletes work so hard to fight at the UFC that they deserve it.
"(Erick Silva) showed class and maturity. He could have made it a circus with the interview after the fight, but understood the situation and behaved like a real gentleman. He is a great kid."
"(Joe Rogan) was doing his job and it was my mistake of staying there in the middle. I should had left before that."
He also talks about the importance creating a Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission, and subsequently training MMA referees and judges for Brazil. Please go here to read more.
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The term “damage control” is a common phrase that describes the actions needed to deal with any problem that may jeopardize an endeavor. More commonly, it has frequently been adopted for use in politics and the media to describe a need to suppress information or employ spin doctors to represent a counter response to a particular situation.
The term “damage control” can also be applied to judging an MMA bout as well. The only difference being that the term simply needs to be split into its two components: damage and control. In its most simplistic application, judging and scoring an MMA round is all about evaluating these two variables: (1) damage and (2) control.
In my mind, the term “damage” covers all the various types of strikes (kicks, punches, etc.) and the term “control” covers all the other “non-striking” components of the sport (takedowns, throws, holds, ground game, etc.). Breaking down the MMA scoring criteria into these simplistic terms is the easy part. The harder part is weighing the effect these two components have on each of the fighters, so that what happened inside the cage can accurately be reflected outside the cage - on the judges’ scorecards.
Before I get into the specific challenges MMA judges face when scoring a round, I think it needs to be made clear there are differing perspectives on viewing the action in an MMA fight, depending on the particular spectator involved. Here are the five differing viewpoints that exist when watching an MMA fight:
1. The live audience 2. The fighter’s respective corners 3. The television commentators 4. The television viewing audience 5. The judges who actually score the fight
Each of these different spectator groups can have a completely different take on the action they see because of their different loyalties, biases, perspectives or jobs for which they are responsible. Clearly, of all of these, the three judges represent the smallest group, but they can have the most impact on the outcome of a fight. That’s why judges’ actions and opinions so often are viewed under a microscope and why they receive such scrutiny.
Controversy in MMA fights is not new, and it’s certainly not restricted to female MMA referees, as so many people would have us think of late.
For example, back in July, 2011, Sheila Bird defeated Kim Couture via scissor choke Round 1, 1:48.
The problem? The referee who was overseeing the fight, Len Koivisto from Edmonton, was unable to recognize the submission, and left the choke on for a full 10 seconds after Kim Couture had already passed out! This resulted in a long period of unconsciousness and spasms, all while fans and even the Calgary Commission Official yelling to the ref that she was out.
So do mistakes happen? Of course, and that’s not to say this makes them okay, but it does show that they are not made dependent on whether or not the ref is a man or a woman.
These shots were taken by Charles Penner "The Sniper,” a freelance Combative Sports Photographer. Photos courtesy of CombatCaptured and AX Combat.
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The emergence of mixed martial arts (MMA) as a legitimate sport in recent years has brought with it some of the same challenges in officiating that have plagued the sport of boxing for some time. That is, the perception of non-standard judging criteria, unqualified officials and hence, controversial decisions. While it appears that many of the current MMA judges hail from primarily a boxing background and have merely transferred over to also officiate MMA, the sport of mixed martial arts is a much more diverse and complex sport to judge accurately. Unfortunately, the perception of inconsistent judging is a shared commodity in both sports.
Let’s start with boxing. When compared to MMA, on its surface boxing appears to be a much simpler sport to judge. The two combatants’ weapons are limited to punches thrown with either a left or a right. There is no striking with the legs and certainly no grappling ground game to evaluate. Within this relatively simple arsenal at a fighter’s disposal, the types of scoring punches are also rather simple to observe and evaluate: jab, cross, hook or uppercut. A judge merely has to evaluate the damaging effect of these scoring punches to his opponent so that the winner in the ring translates to the winner on the scorecards.
MMA is clearly the more elaborate and complicated of the combat sports to judge. Although it is true that both sports share some of the same rules (standardized gloves, weight classes, time limits, rounds, etc.). Not only does MMA incorporate all of the previously mentioned standing attack weapons found in boxing, but judges also have to evaluate and consider the fighters’ grappling ability, takedowns and submission techniques when the fight transitions to the ground.
This is clearly the aspect of MMA judging that receives the most scrutiny. Whereas boxing “styles” can usually be classified as either a boxer or a puncher, MMA “styles” vary considerably depending on the school of thought and training that a fighter brings into the cage. For example, your training background (i.e. Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, taekwondo, boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, etc.) can greatly differentiate your fighting style from that of your opponent. No longer can a judge simply be looking for the effect of a left or a right while the two fighters are vertical. MMA requires that a judge also look for and evaluate a fighter’s effect on his opponent from kicks, knees, elbows, holds, throws, etc.
Hopefully this will help to clear up some confusion. It seems that a lot of people aren't sure what "no hits to the back of the head" means in an MMA fight. Think "mohawk" people! Also, if you keep turning your head while getting hit, and your opponent then hits the back of your head...that's on you, not them!
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