Has anybody notice all the 10-8 rounds lately?

[ABC]

Is 10-7 the biggest pre-deduction difference, or the biggest the judges can award independent of the referee?

Does anyone else wonder why they don't score rounds 3-(2,1,0) as opposed to 10-(9,8,7)?

yes, according to the rules and judging criteria, 10-7 is the most lopsided round you can possibly score (before ref deductions of course).
I'm sure the use of the 10 as a reference point was just a cross over from boxing.

 

[ABC]

I see 2 drawbacks to judges using more 10-8 rounds:

1. It is going to create more inconsistencies in scoring, which I think over the long run doesn't help the credibility of the sport

2. I think it could lead to more draws, majority draws, majority decisions, etc. Combat sports fans seem to have a real issue with draws sometimes.

You can sit here and say you think there needs to be more 10-8 rounds and talk about how much better it is, but if the trend continues and we start seeing even more 10-8's, within a couple years, most of you will be sitting around talking about the good 'ol days when things were much simpler and we had more decisive winners, etc.

 

[Cake4Breakfast]

Yeah, and despite the inconsistency, I think it is good. I think of the Rampage vs. machida, T. silva vs. rashad, Marshall vs. Vera, and Chuck vs. jardine fights where the loser put it on the other guy for one round, but the winner squeaked out the other two.

I hope this trend continues and affects the sport killing point fighting of the past couple of years.

 

[Cake4Breakfast]

I see 2 drawbacks to judges using more 10-8 rounds:

1. It is going to create more inconsistencies in scoring, which I think over the long run doesn't help the credibility of the sport

2. I think it could lead to more draws, majority draws, majority decisions, etc. Combat sports fans seem to have a real issue with draws sometimes.

I hear you about the draw issue, that could be a problem, but adding sudden victory rounds would be an easy fix. it might be a headache for the UFC's production, but I think in the long run it makes for a more satisfying sport.

Inconsistency is already a huge problem, I don't see how more 10-8 rounds could make it much worse. When everyone everywhere has Edgar beating Bendo in tne rematch, except for three judges, things are already miserable.

 

[ABC]

I hear you about the draw issue, that could be a problem, but adding sudden victory rounds would be an easy fix. it might be a headache for the UFC's production, but I think in the long run it makes for a more satisfying sport.

Inconsistency is already a huge problem, I don't see how more 10-8 rounds could make it much worse. When everyone everywhere has Edgar beating Bendo in tne rematch, except for three judges, things are already miserable.

you are way off on the Edgar/Henderson fight because you seem to think that it was only the 3 judges that thought Henderson won. If my memory serves me correctly, it was pretty well split, if not more people thinking that Henderson pulled it off. Personally, I thought it was pretty clear that Henderson won.

I don't see them doing sudden victory rounds with the exception of tournament situations where you have to have a winner. I certainly don't see them doing it after a 5 round fight, and as of right now, the athletic commissions wouldn't let them do a 6th round, so just to make that an option, they would have to get the rules changed.
If we start getting more draws, they are going to stand as draws.

 

[TJC]

Does anyone else wonder why they don't score rounds 3-(2,1,0) as opposed to 10-(9,8,7)?

I'm sure the use of the 10 as a reference point was just a cross over from boxing.

Agreed.

 

[SunNovaGun]

yes, but it should almost never happen. More often than not when you do see it, it happens when you have judges who aren't very good or very knowledgeable and they do a 10-10 as a cop out.
The reason it should almost never happen is because a 10-10 is supposed to be a complete draw (not a close round that you don't want to make a decision on). There are so many things that get judged that it is virtually impossible not have 1 guy do just a hair more. It could be 1 more punch or just a little bit more control, or a little bit more aggression. About the only realistic way you can have a 10-10 is if 2 guys bounce around and never engage for the entire round. If that happens, the ref should have already stepped in and taken action for timidity.

I hear ya. I do like the 10-10 in boxing for occasions when both fighters lay it out there landing constant solid shots with neither yielding, or a back and forth round where the fighters inflict basically identical damage to each other. It's pretty rare these days though.

 

[Cake4Breakfast]

you are way off on the Edgar/Henderson fight because you seem to think that it was only the 3 judges that thought Henderson won. If my memory serves me correctly, it was pretty well split, if not more people thinking that Henderson pulled it off. Personally, I thought it was pretty clear that Henderson won.

I don't see them doing sudden victory rounds with the exception of tournament situations where you have to have a winner. I certainly don't see them doing it after a 5 round fight, and as of right now, the athletic commissions wouldn't let them do a 6th round, so just to make that an option, they would have to get the rules changed.
If we start getting more draws, they are going to stand as draws.

You can't say I am "way off" and then back peddle with the "if my memory serves me correctly" stuff, it is inconsistent :wink:

And no, I wasn't way off, all the folks scoring at MMA junkie and Sherdog and everyone on the Sherdog event thread had Edgar clearly winning, it was shocking.

 

[ABC]

I hear ya. I do like the 10-10 in boxing for occasions when both fighters lay it out there landing constant solid shots with neither yielding, or a back and forth round where the fighters inflict basically identical damage to each other. It's pretty rare these days though.

MMA judging is just more complicated. I've worked shows with a couple guys who have been working boxing events for years, and they have pretty much given up on MMA. There is just so much more to be judged and scored that the odds of a dead even round are slim. It could come down to a very slight difference.

 

[ABC]

You can't say I am "way off" and then back peddle with the "if my memory serves me correctly" stuff, it is inconsistent :wink:

And no, I wasn't way off, all the folks scoring at MMA junkie and Sherdog and everyone on the Sherdog event thread had Edgar clearly winning, it was shocking.

I know for certain that there were plenty of people who also believed that Henderson won, so you can't accurately say that the judges were the only 3 people.

I would be willing to discuss that fight with you if you really want. If you are really interested, re-watch the fight, break it down round by round and use the judging criteria to explain who won which rounds and why. Message me with that. If you do that, I'll dig the fight out of my DVD collection, and break it down, and we can compare.

 

[Cake4Breakfast]

I know for certain that there were plenty of people who also believed that Henderson won, so you can't accurately say that the judges were the only 3 people.

I would be willing to discuss that fight with you if you really want. If you are really interested, re-watch the fight, break it down round by round and use the judging criteria to explain who won which rounds and why. Message me with that. If you do that, I'll dig the fight out of my DVD collection, and break it down, and we can compare.

Of course it was hyperbolic, I didn't literally mean that they were the only three, but at best, the decision was controversial. It wasn't like a rampage vs. Forrest or diaz vs. Condit controversy though. when a majority hardcore fans and mma media folks doing play by play are wrong about a decision in a 5 round title fight, then there is a problem with reliability at least, if not validity. If fans can't determine who is winning the fight they are watching, particularly when decisions go against their intuitions and past references, then that is a serious problem. That was my larger point, rather than it being specicifially about that fight, as it isn't an isolated example.