Texas MMA Commission Responds to Joe Rogan and Fans About UFC 247 Judging
No matter how much technology advances, all sports will always fall victim to human error. In soccer, VAR tries to determine decisions made by humans. In the NBA, multiple referees watch the game with an Eagle eye in hopes to make all of the right calls. For mixed martial arts and boxing, multiple judges use their own analysis to determine the winner of a bout that goes the distance. Unfortunately for combat sports, all it takes is one judge to raise the eyebrows of all the fans. UFC 247 had sporadic judging all over the place and the MMA community was in an uproar. So, the Texas MMA commission decided to speak out about the judgment calls made during the event.
Multiple fights during the night had questionable judging. So much so, that the community was in agreement that if these fights took place in a different location, the outcome would be much different. UFC commentator Joe Rogan mentioned that the judges scoring the bouts spent a significant amount of time looking at the floor, unfocused on the fights. Which of course led the internet to justify the bad scoring for that reason.
Texas MMA Commission Issues Statement
The Texas Department of Licensure and Regulation is the body that regulates MMA in the state of Texas. They issued a statement via Tela Mange (a commission spokesperson.) Speaking directly to MMA Junkie, they explained the scoring of UFC 247.
“As in all athletic events, athletes, teams, judges, fans and media representatives can – and often do – have differing opinions about what happened in a combative sports match,” said Tela. “TDLR applauds the passion everyone is exhibiting about this sport. Comments have been made about the selection of the judges and the referees. In selecting ringside officials, TDLR takes into consideration recommendations made by UFC. As with all events, TDLR works closely with UFC and other promoters to ensure the quality and experience of referees and judges to protect the health and safety of the fighters.” (via MMA Junkie)
The Verdict on the TDLR
In regards to Rogan’s claim that judges were looking at the ground, the TLDR responded to that as well. They mentioned that the UFC stationed monitors below the floor level of the octagon. This way, the judges have an absolutely clear view of the action at hand.
Now that the TLDR has spoken, does it change anyone’s mind? Are fans now empathetic in regards to the reasoning for the scoring? Or, is Texas MMA simply trying to damage control of a situation that is unresolvable?
