Issue 091

August 2012

That, honestly, is the question MMA fans, fighters and pundits must ask themselves when it comes to the state of officiating in the sport today. ‘Don’t let it go to the judges,’ has become fact rather than simple mantra, as if fighting to full-time suggests a crapshoot in terms of result. That has to change.

So, too, does the performance of referees, who often bounce wildly between overseeing barely legal assaults in the cage to prematurely halting contests and preventing athletes with incredible heart from displaying the type of tenacity that can only come in MMA competition.

Judges and referees need to improve, but that’s hardly a revolutionary thought. But I think the answer lies not in the reinvention of a longstanding system but in simple accountability among those governing the sport.

Longtime manager Alex Davis, a co-founder of American Top Team and one of the most respected figures in the sport today, recently wrote a series of articles for MMA Junkie asking simply, ‘Who’s policing the police?’ when it comes to athletic commissions. It’s an intriguing discussion that warrants consideration. In relating that to the oversight of referees and judges, I wonder where the transparency in their performances lies?

One of my closest friends works part-time as a referee in England’s national soccer system. He is consistently evaluated and graded on his performances on the pitch. His peers endure the same treatment and, through a very clearly defined and carefully recorded criteria, officials move up and down the system, earning higher-profile assignments along the way.

Steve Mazzagatti is often criticized by Dana White, but how much more effective would his rants be if the fiery UFC president could say, ‘Did you know that 32% of Mazzagatti’s stoppages have been deemed early? He’s also been out of position an average of 3.2 times per round during the fights he’s officiated in the past 24 months. That’s unacceptable!’

Time will make things better in the officiating ranks. Practice and education are the keys to this process, not the reinvention of the entire system. But as we move along this path, let’s try to find some way to offer an honest, consistent and recordable evaluation of those in the system. Reward improvement, and let those who can’t hack it stay away.

The saturation point

Speaking of ‘too much,’ it seems the number of MMA fans and pundits discussing the sport’s theoretical ‘saturation point’ is increasing by the day. As a full-time MMA journalist, my life is pretty much centered on the sport around the clock, seven days a week (much to the lament of my lovely wife, who does her best to support my efforts). Of course, my wife and I had a little wrinkle thrown into our lives in May, with the birth of our first son, Eli.

In the eight days after my son was born, I assisted in the coverage of a UFC event, a Strikeforce event, a Bellator event and an episode each of The Ultimate Fighter: Live and The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. Add in my weekly ritual of watching HDNet’s Inside MMA, Fuel TV’s UFC Tonight and UFC Ultimate Insider, Spike TV’s MMA Uncensored Live and ESPN’s MMA Live, and my week of bottle-feeding and burping also included 32 live fights, one tape-delayed matchup and three hours of video packages and talking heads.

Was it too much? Absolutely not.

MMA is often referred to as the “fastest-growing sport on Earth,” and the sport itself has evolved dramatically since the 1993 inception of the modern era. But fans and their viewing habits need to evolve along with the sport. 

As recently as seven years ago, the UFC held only 10 events per year. In 2004, it was just five events (by contrast, the UFC held five events in the first seven weeks of 2012). While that means fans had weeks in between fight cards to discuss and debate the subtleties of each and every bout, it also meant weeks of MMA doldrums, void of fresh fights, new faces on the scene and reasons to gather around the water cooler and debate where Chan Sung Jung’s latest performance ranks on the ‘Fight of the Year’ list.

There was a time when each and every UFC event was the Super Bowl, the Champions League Final, the Olympic gold medal matchup. You had your friends over for pizza and beer, and you made an event out of the night. 

There are still occasions to throw such parties. Superfights like Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen II are special moments in time that should be correctly honored as such. But MMA’s year-round schedule now has a regular season, as well.

It didn’t feel saturated when Jim Miller choked out Melvin Guillard, or even when Miller fell victim to Nick Diaz. Ditto for the frenzied bout between Jake Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez. Martin Kampmann vs Thiago Alves? Alexander Gustafsson vs Thiago Silva? All main events that never would have received the attention they deserved if the UFC trimmed down its schedule. 

If you think the MMA schedule is bloated, trim down your viewing habits. But don’t suggest those special moments be taken away from those of us who can’t get enough.

By John Morgan: Former Fighters Only World MMA Awards ‘Journalist of the Year’