It's been quite some time since I've written anything here, but after last night's UFC event I feel the need to open a topic of discussion. The ever-popular topic of rule clarification. I include the link to the official rules here.
The first bit of confusion came during the Dong Hyun Kim versus Nate Diaz fight during round three. Rule number 15 states that "kneeing the head of a grounded opponent" is a foul.
But the word grounded isn't clearly defined. As in one knee on the ground or hand touching the ground. Diaz lost an advantageous position due to Kim's hand touching the mat, which was beyond Diaz's line of sight.
Now, no points were taken, but a warning was issued. Not too bad, but still leaves one to wonder about the gray area of the term "grounded opponent."
On to the main event of Frankie Edgar versus Gray Maynard, a great fight that never stopped being exciting until the judges' decision. Regardless of which fighter fans thought won, a draw was the official decision.
So the old saying of, "Never leave a fight in the hands of the judges," rings true once more. Definitely not the first time, or the last, this will happen as every fight fan knows.
The issue at hand is the scoring of a 10-point must system. The first round Frankie Edgar lost without a doubt. Across the board, this was given the rare 10-8 in favor of Maynard.
Fair enough; Edgar just barely survived and the argument that the fight should have been stopped has a valid point. So 10-8 it is, but herein lies a problem as I heard and have read some people press row and others scored the first round 10-7.
In boxing, each knockdown will cost you one point to the limit of three, and then fight over. But in MMA, most of the time, rounds are 10-9 in favor of the winner. Rarely do we see the 10-10 or the 10-8 round in MMA.
By giving a 10-7 in the first, you kill any chance of a fighter mounting an offense to win on the cards over a five-round fight.
As the sport evolves and grows streamlining rules and regulations keeps things consistent. Watching Edgar take a beating of nearly 100 strikes in Round 1, when on some of the undercards the bouts were stopped for far less brutality, leaves doubts about referee training methods and overall quality.
A brief example is the inconsistent methods of dealing with fighters just laying on their opponent to rest needs some specifics. Sometimes it goes on for a minute, other times half a round.
So let's for the sake of being consistent say that after the fighters hit the mat if no one is working towards improving position, attempting a submission or striking then stand them up within 30 seconds to one minute.
In closing the sport of MMA is a passion for practitioner and fan alike so all issues presented are in the interest of keeping that fire alive and seeing this beloved sport continue to grow.
While a draw isn't the worst outcome of such a bout, far too many fights go to judges in a sport geared toward finishing the opposition. But this is part of the evolution of the sport, fighters adapt, become smarter and also looking at longevity need to make certain adjustments. Fighting smart and being tactical means a longer career.
No one can fault an individual for protecting their future and if a fighter doesn't need to run the risk of brawling in the pocket with his opponent to win than that's their choice. We may not always find it as exciting but that's their job and how they survive to entertain us another day.
All in all, 2011 starts with a bang and a bit of controversy, but the future holds the potential for some of the best matches to date.
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