The California State Athletic Commission has issued a memorandum in light of the recent controversy surrounding MMA judge Douglas Crosby.
Crosby came under fire earlier this month after handing in two highly questionable scorecards on back-to-back nights. First serving as one of the three judges in the Bellator 289 main event between Raufeon Stots and Danny Sabatello, Crosby submitted a scorecard favoring Sabatello 50-45 while the other two judges on duty scored the bout a much more reasonable 48-47 in favor of Stots.
Following the Bellator event, Crosby hopped a jet and flew across the country from Connecticut to Las Vegas where UFC 282 was held. It was there that Crosby contributed to the much-maligned unanimous decision favoring Paddy Pimblett over Jared Gordon in the evening’s co-main event.
Douglas Crosby is the only judge in MMA history to give a 50-45 score to the loser of a fight and he has done it twice. Crazy!
— The Todd Atkins Show 🥋 (@ToddAtkinsMMA) December 12, 2022
California State Athletic Commission Establishes Travel Restrictions Following Douglas Crosby Controversy
The two inept scores delivered by Douglas Crosby have generated significant backlash and even prompted California’s State Athletic Commission to update their rules regarding judges traveling across the country. CSAC executive officer Andy Foster issued a memorandum limiting the distance a judge can travel when scheduled to work multiple events on the same weekend.
“While the Commission understands that, as Officials you may also work in other states. It is imperative that you be at your best for those assignments and keep in mind the travel distance between locations when accepting consecutive assignments. If you work in California on a Friday, the Commission finds it acceptable for you to work as far as Nevada on Saturday or vice versa.
“If you accept an out-of-state assignment that is within one day of an assignment in California, you may be removed from the California assignment if you are being required to travel further than the state of Nevada.”
Following the controversial decision at UFC 282, Mohegan Athletic Department Director of Athletics Mike Mazzulli announced that they would be investigating the scores handed in during the Bellator 289 main event, suggesting sanctions could be levied once the review has been completed.
“This is a very serious situation,” Mazzulli stated. “The Mohegan Tribe Athletic Department always looks out for the best interests of all fighters. In the past, the Mohegan Tribe Athletic Department has sanctioned officials that are not performing to the level that is required. Such sanctions, when they occur, are not made public” (h/t MMA Fighting).
