Hardly a weekend goes by where we aren’t blindsided with a questionable decision in a notable MMA fight. It happens so many times at this point that we’re becoming desensitized to it.
The overwhelming majority – from fans, commentators and MMA media websites such as the one you’re reading this on — will see a fight scored one way, but judges give a different result. Even in fights in which it seems impossible to not give a unanimous result, one judge will turn in an opposing scorecard.
We are indignant. Everyone on social media screams to high heavens outraged, but by the next weekend of fights, we collectively forget — until the next time it happens. Then the exact same process occurs again. The only people who remember — and they can’t forget even if they tried — are the ones hurt by a wrong decision. Half of a fighter’s paycheck gone, an unjust defeat on their record, and maybe even losing a contract or being released by a promotion. All of these things are consequences of these malicious judging errors.
