MMA needs to institute instant replay, not in the near future but now, because the debacle surrounding fights ended via the say so of the referee regarding illegal blows, elbows and so on to an opponent will never be par for the course, and if anything, will detract from the ever-growing sport of professional mixed martial arts.
Most recently, at UFC 142 Brazil, we were privy to how badly instant replay should be a prerequisite at all major MMA events—Erick “ĺndio” Silva was on the brink of certain victory, only for Mario Yamasaki, who was officiating the matchup, to end proceedings via disqualification, thus handing the win to Carlo Prater.
Silva’s transgression was the fact that he’d allegedly rained several blows to the back of Prater’s head, though on closer observation and with the benefit of replay later on, it was found out that only one of the Brazilian’s punches had connected to the head of his opponent.
That, however, was no consolation for Silva, who was not only fighting in front of his countrymen, but up until then had been on a nine-fight unbeaten streak.
No one, not the fighters nor the fans, want to see a bout ended in controversy let alone via disqualification.
People pay good money to watch these fights, either through ticket or pay-per-view buys and the fighters on the receiving end of such dubious decisions end up with a loss that shouldn’t be and one which could easily have a detrimental effect on their psyche as well as future earnings.
The solution to the problem is simple—if an infraction takes place during a match, the instant replay will show whether or not the assumed perpetrator was in fact culpable of the infringement.
And if, however, he’s deemed guilty of said crime, then a point or two deducted would suffice and the bout could continue as normal, with the fighter in question aware of what might befall him if there is a repeat of his actions.
What this does, it not only gives the referee ample time to assess the situation and then make his call, but it also benefits MMA in the long run—more importantly the fans and the fighters.
For such scenarios to be a thing of the past, instant replay is the way and only way forward.
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