Bellator color commentator “Big” John McCarthy believes some MMA judging just aren’t grasping the scoring criteria.
McCarthy is never shy on commentary duties when it comes to judging in MMA bouts. When there’s a scorecard he disagrees with, he’ll voice his opinion and explain why he feels the criteria for judging fights isn’t being followed properly. McCarthy also feels that a 10-10 round was missed by the judges in the Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero UFC middleweight title bout earlier this month.
‘Big’ John Takes Judges To Task Over Learning Scoring Criteria
Appearing on MMAJunkie Radio, “Big” John McCarthy doubled down on his belief that something should be done so that MMA judges better understand the scoring criteria.
“The biggest thing we have to have is the judges understanding the criteria that is given to them and how to use it and then understanding in a fight what is effective,” McCarthy told MMA Junkie Radio. “It’s not what is flashy. It’s not the guy that’s moving forward. It is what is the most effective element in that round. Who’s the guy that created the most dangerous situations for their opponent?
“It doesn’t matter if he’s chasing him down. It matters if he is doing the most effective damage during that round. That’s what the judges are looking for.”
Criticism of judging in combat sports is nothing new. Just last month, fight fans were up in arms over the result of Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes. Many believed Reyes deserved the nod after five rounds of action but all three judges scored the fight for Jones. One judge even gave Jones a 49-46 scorecard.
There are also those who believe Joanna Jedrzejczyk should’ve been awarded the win over Weili Zhang earlier this month. That isn’t so much of a controversy, however, as it truly was one of the most highly contested matchups fights fans have seen.
