Says UFC Hall-of-Famer Randy Couture:
"[Judges] see some superficial things like Rampage moving forward the whole time in that fight and they attribute that to him winning those rounds. And technically that's not what was happening. It sucks to be a fighter and have that happen to you ... I think it's a huge issue. It's a lot different than judging boxing and unfortunately a lot of judges transferred over. They don't understand a lot of the intricacies of our sport. Who's controlling the tempo of the fight. Who's actually technically scoring ... Unfortunately guys like (Cecil) Peoples, and some of these guys have been around for a long time, (you'd) think they'd have figured it out by now. I think there has to be some sort of education or certification program for these judges to get them up to speed on the criteria and what they're looking at to the judge these fights."
"Naytch" (via Cagewriter) is the latest high-profile mixed martial arts figure to speak out against the inconsistent and haphazard judging that has led to so many head-scratching decisions over the past couple of years. Quinton Jackson's win at UFC 123: "Rampage vs. Machida" continues to be scrutinized but as Couture illustrates, the people in place still haven't "figured it out." How bad does it have to get before UFC fighters (and fans) see a major reform?
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