Former UFC Middleweight Champion Michael Bisping has revealed how he and his fellow commentators are looking to improve their knowledge of the MMA judging criteria.
While this past weekend’s UFC Vegas 55 main event, which saw Ketlen Vieira defeat Holly Holm via split decision, has spurred discussion surrounding the judges and the scoring criteria, one group has consistently been subject to scrutiny for their knowledge, or lack of, with regards to how fights are judged: the commentators.
Perhaps the main disapproval has been aimed towards color commentators Dominick Cruz, Michael Bisping, and Daniel Cormier.
While the reasons for said criticism varies, the most notable topics that have drawn social media reaction among fans and pundits has surrounded Cruz’s frequent suggestion that control time or a late takedown influences the scoring of a round, something that “DC” is also often guilty of, and seemingly was during this past Saturday’s headliner.
Now, those who let out sighs of frustration when the commentators give their thoughts on the scoring of a fight without adequate knowledge of the criteria could soon be adjusting to sighs of relief.
During a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, which discussed the recent judging controversy, Michael Bisping revealed that the UFC commentary team will be attending a seminar in the coming weeks.
The goal of the session will be to ensure that those providing insight during the fights fully understand the criteria, and so can accurately discuss it while on air.
“Unfortunately, it comes down to perception sometimes, which it should not. There is a clear-cut judging criteria for how the judges are supposed to score the fights,” noted Bisping. “Sometimes, maybe the judges, if they prefer striking or grappling, maybe subconsciously it leans towards that, but it shouldn’t.
“As I say, there’s a clear-cut criteria. In fact, just so the rest of the commentators and I are better informed, we actually have a seminar coming up soon,” revealed Bisping. “We’re gonna sit down with some of the judges and referees and go through it. They’re just gonna explain it better to us, so we can express that then to the watching public.”
While some have continued to suggest that the issue surrounds inadequate judges and incorrect scoring, others have claimed that the real issue is the failure of the majority of fans and fighters to read and educate themselves on how MMA bouts are actually scored.
Given the influence that commentators have on the listening ears, especially former champions of the sport like Bisping and Cormier, perhaps an accurate understanding of the criteria on their part will lead to the education of the masses during future broadcasts, which in turn, could see the often-used “robbery” phrase thrown around less following close fights.
Is it smart for UFC commentators to attend a seminar on the scoring criteria?
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