New rules and guidelines are expected to be implemented for MMA judges starting in 2017. One of the new guidelines will involve more scoring of 10-8 rounds, something that had started to become almost impossible to get in the last few years. The hope is that with more 10-8 rounds, it will prevent more fighters from being mildly out performed in 2 or 3 rounds, beating down their opponent conclusively in 1 or 2 rounds and then taking a loss via decision.
Hopefully new guidelines for judges will decrease the amount of times that questionable decisions by judges rob fighters of victories, but it won’t prevent that entirely. There will always be judge’s decisions that are mind-boggling to MMA fans, as is the case in boxing and numerous other combat sports. Not that combat sports are alone in having to make due with the subjective opinions of judges, as it is pretty much a standard problem faced by all sports that require judging.
Of all the times we’ve scratched our heads at a judge’s decision, these are the top 10…
