Tag: Andy Foster

Andy Foster Praises State of MMA Judging: “Better Than Ever”

Andy FosterAfter a plethora of controversial fights in the UFC over the past few years, California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster says there’s nothing to worry about when it comes to judging at UFC events. Foster has been the lead man of CSAC since 2012 and is a former professional fighter who had brief […]

Andy Foster

After a plethora of controversial fights in the UFC over the past few years, California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster says there’s nothing to worry about when it comes to judging at UFC events.

Foster has been the lead man of CSAC since 2012 and is a former professional fighter who had brief stints in Bodog Fight and ISAF during his career.

Despite Foster’s optimism, the state of judging in MMA is questionable, to say the least. Fighters, commentators, and fans have voiced their displeasure with how judging has been all over the map at least once per fight card. Judging has been a major talking point for years but has since ramped up in discussion as the sport of MMA has risen to prominence.

“Mixed martial arts scoring, at the high level, at the UFC level, is better now than it ever has been, Foster said in an interview with ESPN. “I’ve got stats, I’ve got all kinds of things to prove that point. Doesn’t mean we can’t get better, doesn’t mean that. But, it’s better than it ever has been.”

“And it’s to the point now that where the media and fans are examining individual rounds to see if a judge was off in that particular round, which I think is absolutely valid, to credit. That doesn’t mean we can’t get better, we can. We’re gonna try to get better. But it’s a process and it’s gotten better.”

The judging has been a hot topic of discussion in the MMA community as recently as UFC Vegas 27 in the main event between UFC bantamweights Rob Font and Cody Garbrandt. It was a dominant performance by Font from start to finish, and it was pretty clear that he won every round in the fight. But one judge, Derek Cleary, ended up giving Garbrandt the advantage in two rounds, the first and last rounds of the bout.

Foster and the other executive directors of athletic commissions around the world seem optimistic about the need to improve judging in MMA, but it’ll be interesting to see what exact steps are taken to have that goal come to fruition.

What is your reaction to Andy Foster’s recent comments about judging in MMA?

Paulo Costa Banned From Competing At Middleweight In California

Paulo Costa picked up the biggest win of his career in a “Fight of the Night”-winning brawl with Yoel Romero at Aug. 17’s UFC 241 from Anaheim, California. The bout was arguably the best middleweight contest of the year thus far. Howe…

Paulo Costa picked up the biggest win of his career in a “Fight of the Night”-winning brawl with Yoel Romero at Aug. 17’s UFC 241 from Anaheim, California. The bout was arguably the best middleweight contest of the year thus far. However, it didn’t come without a price for Costa. According to a public records […]

The post Paulo Costa Banned From Competing At Middleweight In California appeared first on MMA News.

Aspen Ladd’s Bantamweight License Is Suspended By CSAC

When Aspen Ladd weighed in at UFC Sacramento before her main event fight against Germaine de Randamie, she did not look good. She was shaking on the scale and could barely stand up. Yet, the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) said she was good to compete the following night. In the fight, she was knocked […]

The post Aspen Ladd’s Bantamweight License Is Suspended By CSAC appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

When Aspen Ladd weighed in at UFC Sacramento before her main event fight against Germaine de Randamie, she did not look good. She was shaking on the scale and could barely stand up.

Yet, the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) said she was good to compete the following night. In the fight, she was knocked out by the first punch and many thought it had something to do with the weigh-in as she ended up weighing in at 159-pounds on fight night.

Now, the CSAC has suspended Ladd’s bantamweight license, and the hope for Andy Foster is that other commissions will respect it.

“CSAC will remove the note if (Ladd) provides extensive medical documentation from a licensed physician certifying the weight class is appropriate and verified by CSAC physicians,” Foster said to MMA Junkie.

Of course, Ladd was recently booked to take on Yana Kunitskaya in Washington D.C. in December. Yet, she will have to show she can make bantamweight safely before the suspension gets taken off.

Currently, she has said she will work with the UFC PI on a diet and weight cutting plan.

Do you think Aspen Ladd should have to move up in weight?

The post Aspen Ladd’s Bantamweight License Is Suspended By CSAC appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Scott Coker Was ‘Very’ Disappointed How California Commission Handled Jon Jones Situation

Bellator president Scott Coker may not have a vested interest in Jon Jones but he definitely has a stake in the rules and regulations enforced by the California State Athletic Commission. Coker, who promoted fights around San Jose for several years wit…

Bellator president Scott Coker may not have a vested interest in Jon Jones but he definitely has a stake in the rules and regulations enforced by the California State Athletic Commission. Coker, who promoted fights around San Jose for several years with both K-1 and Strikeforce, returns to California this weekend for Bellator 214, which […]

The post Scott Coker Was ‘Very’ Disappointed How California Commission Handled Jon Jones Situation appeared first on MMA News.

Andy Foster: USADA Shouldn’t Decide UFC Punishments After Jon Jones Case

Andy Foster believes the learning experience from the case involving Jon Jones makes him think USADA shouldn’t decide punishments for UFC fighters. The California State Athletic Commission Executive Director was a big supporter of geting the former UFC light heavyweight champion reinstated. The CSAC held a meeting on Tuesday where they decided if Jones should […]

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Andy Foster believes the learning experience from the case involving Jon Jones makes him think USADA shouldn’t decide punishments for UFC fighters. The California State Athletic Commission Executive Director was a big supporter of geting the former UFC light heavyweight champion reinstated.

The CSAC held a meeting on Tuesday where they decided if Jones should be reinstated. This is where they ruled that Jones was reinstated after he agreed to pay a $205,000 fine and do a community outreach program. Also, he had to undergo the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA) program before his next fight.

Jones failed an in-competition drug test for Turinabol at UFC 214 after he beat Daniel Cormier by third-round TKO. This fight took place in the main event in July of 2017 in Anaheim, California.

Back in February, it was revealed that the CSAC revoked Jones’ MMA license and fined him $205,000. A few months ago, USADA reduced the suspension to just 18 months following arbitration. Now, he’s set to fight again.

Foster later stated in an interview that he thinks USADA plays a role in drug testing for the UFC but shouldn’t decide how the fighters are punished. “I think it’s good to have doping controls,” Foster today told MMAjunkie. “I think this process was a wreck, and I think we learned from the process. If we keep doing this to the fighters, that’s not serving the public interest. I just don’t think that process is right. I think that the law backs up my thoughts.”

“Please understand, I’m not saying (they have a conflict of interest). But there’s a perception there, and I am saying this: I do believe there’s been quite a few cases that could have been solved quicker and cheaper and got the same results instead of going through this long, arduous process.”

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Andy Foster: USADA Shouldn’t Decide UFC Punishments After Jon Jones Case

Andy Foster believes the learning experience from the case involving Jon Jones makes him think USADA shouldn’t decide punishments for UFC fighters. The California State Athletic Commission Executive Director was a big supporter of geting the former UFC light heavyweight champion reinstated. The CSAC held a meeting on Tuesday where they decided if Jones should […]

The post Andy Foster: USADA Shouldn’t Decide UFC Punishments After Jon Jones Case appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Andy Foster believes the learning experience from the case involving Jon Jones makes him think USADA shouldn’t decide punishments for UFC fighters. The California State Athletic Commission Executive Director was a big supporter of geting the former UFC light heavyweight champion reinstated.

The CSAC held a meeting on Tuesday where they decided if Jones should be reinstated. This is where they ruled that Jones was reinstated after he agreed to pay a $205,000 fine and do a community outreach program. Also, he had to undergo the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA) program before his next fight.

Jones failed an in-competition drug test for Turinabol at UFC 214 after he beat Daniel Cormier by third-round TKO. This fight took place in the main event in July of 2017 in Anaheim, California.

Back in February, it was revealed that the CSAC revoked Jones’ MMA license and fined him $205,000. A few months ago, USADA reduced the suspension to just 18 months following arbitration. Now, he’s set to fight again.

Foster later stated in an interview that he thinks USADA plays a role in drug testing for the UFC but shouldn’t decide how the fighters are punished. “I think it’s good to have doping controls,” Foster today told MMAjunkie. “I think this process was a wreck, and I think we learned from the process. If we keep doing this to the fighters, that’s not serving the public interest. I just don’t think that process is right. I think that the law backs up my thoughts.”

“Please understand, I’m not saying (they have a conflict of interest). But there’s a perception there, and I am saying this: I do believe there’s been quite a few cases that could have been solved quicker and cheaper and got the same results instead of going through this long, arduous process.”

The post Andy Foster: USADA Shouldn’t Decide UFC Punishments After Jon Jones Case appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.