Just like other sports, MMA has also evolved, especially in terms of judging criteria. However, while many have adapted to the new approach to scoring fights, some still prefer the old system. Why? Because they believe the current methods have somehow ruined the sport, which is a take that one pioneer referee strongly disagrees with.   

When it comes to refereeing fights, Big John McCarthy is considered one of the OGs of the sport. The veteran ref began his journey with the UFC, officiating the promotion’s second event, and after taking a brief time off, he returned to the sport once again. Apart from stepping in to save fighters, the 63-year-old icon also engages in online debates, where he recently came across an interesting take. A user favored the old method of valuing control over damage, believing it gives equal advantage to grapplers. McCarthy, however, continued to push forward a finish-first approach.

“Andy, everyone is entitled to an opinion, however I completely disagree with you,” McCarthy posted on X. “I have been part of the sport since the beginning and have been part of the changes throughout the 30 + years it has been around. The reason for changes in judging criteria was simply because fights where you had a fighter attempting to control their opponent were fights that became some of the slowest and most boring. Having fights without judges does not work.

I have done that with the early UFC and much later on with promotions in Asia, where judging was eliminated. The fans hated when one fighter would dominate their opponent for 3 rounds, but they were unable to finish their opponent. The fight would be called a draw and the fans in attendance would literally lose their minds, feeling that one fighter was cheated. It’s a fight, and every fighter should be working towards finishing their opponent as their number 1 goal,” he added.

While grapplers in MMA used to score the round in their favor for gaining top position over their opponents, even with no strikes, later the rounds were scored based on damage. This put pressure on the MMA fighters to inflict damage on the opponent and not merely rely on controlling opponents on the mat.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

With that said, fighters now have their focus on finishing the fights via knockouts and submissions, which entertains fans. But has this approach ruined the sport? Some believe it has, but most observers welcomed the change because it produced more entertaining bouts.

Still, there have been times when judges fail to stick to the damage-centric criteria and instead score control time. And when that happens, Dana White tends to get angry. Really angry!

Dana White got seriously angry with the MMA judges after a wrong decision

Judging controversies have become a routine affair, not just in the UFC, but across the sport as a whole. Most of the time, fans voice their frustration when a deserving fighter appears to lose due to what they see as judging incompetence. However, when the promotion’s CEO steps in front of a microphone and angrily calls out the officials, it becomes clear that things have gotten especially messy.

One such instance came at UFC 307 during the showdown between Mario Bautista and Jose Aldo. Over the course of 15 minutes, the 32-year-old bantamweight used the cage effectively and showcased strong clinch work, but the element of damage was largely missing. Because of that, many fans believed ‘The King of Rio’ had done enough to win. Instead, the judges awarded the fight to Bautista, sparking backlash from fans and drawing a fiery response from Dana White, who did not hold back while criticizing the decision.

“I think the judging was atrocious tonight, atrocious,” White said at the post-fight press conference. “If you’re not trying to fight, how do you win the fight? And if you’re looking at attempted takedowns, what about stuffing the takedowns? When you can tell that the guy definitely doesn’t want to stand and strike and just wants to stall against the fence, yes, the referee, that’s their job, they’re supposed to break it.

“When they see it continually happening, then you keep breaking them up, it’s common sense. When the guy keeps doing it and is doing everything he can to not fight and not win the fight, as a ref you should break it up immediately,” the UFC CEO added.

Clearly, White favors the modern scoring approach, where damage takes precedence over control. But what do you think? Has the new judging criteria actually improved the sport, or has it taken something away? Let us know in the comments section below.