Issue 114

May 2014

This is your page to tell us what you think of all things Fighters Only and MMA. Get your feelings off your chest where it really matters – in print! Send us your best pictures with your favourite fighters, or copies of FO, and we’ll print them too.  

POINT BREAK

First, I would like to start by saying that I am a huge fan of Brian Stann’s commentary, but it seems the former WEC light heavyweight champion made it through his career without properly learning the 10-point-must scoring system.

During the first round of the Kyung Ho Kang vs. Shunichi Shimizu fight at UFC Fight Night 34 in Singapore, Kang was deducted two points for landing illegal 12-to-six elbows in a round that he clearly won. Stann stated during the fight that, due to the point deductions, Kang would have to win both remaining rounds to even achieve a draw, or get a 10-8 round of his own to win on the judges’ score cards, as Shimizu would have won the round 10-8 as a result of the point deduction.

This is clearly a misunderstanding of the 10-point-must system which states the judges should first score the rounds and then apply any penalties. This means that, as Kang dominated the round, he would have initially won the round 10-9 and then had his penalty applied leaving the final score for the round 8-9 to Shimizu, not 8-10. 

Stann is not alone as many fans believe the 10-point-must means that one fighter has to get a 10 in all circumstances. This misapprehension is, in fact, understandable given that at the beginning of the UFC coverage – the only fights that many casual fans watch – the rules are outlined stating, ‘The winner of the round receives 10 points, his opponent nine or less,’ when they mean loser ‘nine or less’ as 10-10 rounds are possible (9-9 is also possible assuming both fighters are docked a point). 

How are fans ever supposed to understand the scoring system used in MMA if even seasoned fighters commentating on a fight do not understand it? As it happens, Kang ended the fight by submission, meaning that the scorecards were not used. In some ways, this is a shame as it meant that the correct rules were not explained to the viewers.

Shane Mahoney, via email