UFC Ref Hinds: 10 Point Must is fine, Judges need work

source: http://uscombatsports.com

One of the toughest jobs in the world of MMA outside of actually fighting is being a referee and judge. Usually only publicized for failure, the job is relatively thankless and not for everyone.

Rob Hinds, an official in combat sports for the past 20 years, sat down with US Combat Sports reporter Carl Lange to talk about the constant evolution of combative sports, Illinois MMA regulations, and his thoughts on the 10-point must scoring system among other things.

USCS: We all get a kick out of seeing those guys. When you talk about regulations, you can’t help but bring up the state of Illinois and their attempt to regulate MMA. What does the future hold for MMA in Illinois?

RH: Well, it’s a bit foggy. The amateur scene, fighter wise, most likely won’t change much. It may be harder to find a fight for some of the guys but overall it shouldn’t change. For promoters and professional fighters, it has already started creating some problems. With the state allowing multiple sanctioning bodies to be used, people are confused when they move from promotion to promotion. Being ok to fight for one, but not the other because they didn’t get some work done is frustrating to many.

USCS: What would be a better or maybe just less confusing way to do it?

RH: I know that a lot of people were upset by the way Wisconsin handled things, but they have a great model and its getting better with every show. They have one sanctioning body to answer to. Every competitor knows what is required and that makes things easy to figure out. If you have consistency and accountability for everyone - that would be a great first step for Illinois.

USCS: With the recent outcry for a change in the 10-point Must scoring system, including the outspoken UFC President Dana White, what do you think should be done to make the scoring system better?

RH: Well, first off, let’s not try to reinvent the wheel. The current system is the easiest to learn and use when compared to others out there. Where I think it needs work is with the judges themselves. Requiring training for all judges for MMA would be a good way to make it better. The criteria for judging needs to be more clear as well. Defining the terms like cage control and aggression are a must. And using straight stats doesn’t always work. A guy may land three takedowns in a round. But if he did very little with them and ended up losing position doesn’t tell the whole story if you work solely off of stats.

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tags-: Regulation Ilinois Rob Hinds

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2/4/12 4:27 PM by Herecomesthejudge

I'd start with the 1/2 point system. Anything where you can expand the options for scoring. I hate seeing a round like Sonnen Bisping 1 scored the same as Sonnen Bisping 3. Or Machida Rampage 1 and 2 scored the same as Round 3. It's frankly silly.Red fighter barely beats Blue fighter in round 1, gets a 10-9 score. Blue fighter dominates round 2 gets a 10-9 score. We all know that in reality Blue fighter is winning the fight, but using this scoring system means that after 2 rounds it's a tie. Dumb.Anything that will differentiate close rounds from rounds more clearly won is better, and more fair for the fighters. And by using a NEW system you get rid of all the old mentality of not giving 10-10's, or only giving 10-8's for an absolute beating. Broaden the scoring so EDUCATED judges can score the fight and tell the tale of the fight more accurately. Fighters paychecks depend on it!!I've also heard of a 100 point must system, each round is scored to total 100 and it totals over the course of the fight. for exampleRound 1 is very close Red 55 Blue 45Round 2 is a clear victory Blue 70 Red 30Round 3 is a blowout Red 90 Blue 10Scoring is RED 175 BLUE 125. Red wins.My point is that broader scoring options should allow for more accurate scores.Education is THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT of fixing judging. Immaculata is absolutely correct in that a system won't fix a bad judge. But when you have an educated person, please allow them to use that education to the benefit of the fighters.

2/4/12 12:49 PM by Immaculata

Re-read the 2nd part of my post.

2/4/12 12:30 PM by Tad Ghostal

What would you replace it with?

2/4/12 12:24 PM by easedel

Judges have trouble with whole points, would hate to see the fiasco with half point.

2/3/12 7:22 PM by Immaculata

The half point system would be interesting to use. You'd have a lot more draws, tho. I will maintain that if you have a good understanding of the MMA Judging Criteria, you can use the 10 point must system and be successful. The bottom line is either you know what you're watching or you don't , and if you do, than you can make any system work. If you don't, no system can fix it.

2/3/12 6:16 PM by JoeVIP

I've watched this sport from the beginning, I've judged hundreds of fights, I have fought and I have reffed. I think it's more the judges then the system. Judges need to be educated better. The system could use a little tweeking like what should count more ie: takedowns, sub attempts, damage and things like that. But the 10 point system is fine. Maybe giving out more 10-10 or 10-8 rounds would help.

2/3/12 6:03 PM by Herecomesthejudge

*disclaimer* I am a certified Judge under both BJM and Herb DeanIMHO the 10 point must system HAS to go. While I agree with Judges being certified and commissions only using certified officials, a system that can't differentiate between an extremely close round and one that is clearly won by one fighter needs to be revamped. A scoring system needs to "tell the tale" of the fight more accurately, and as such the scoring and judging options needs to be broadened.If more 10-10 and 10-8 rounds were used it would improve Judging under the present system, but trying to "fix" a scoring system that isn't even created for the sport is beyond ridiculous. Also, the reason it is "easiest" to learn is because this sport exploded over the last 10 years and most athletic commissions have slid over boxing judges into MMA Judging. Of course it's easier to learn if it's the only system you'd ever used.We need a scoring system specific to MMA with clearly defined scoring criteria. Not one that piggybacks on another sport. /rant(Also, no offense intended towards Mr. Hinds, this is just a personal vendetta I have. :D)

2/3/12 4:23 PM by Matt Phillips

I know the Chicago Tribune has been shopping around looking for stories on them fairly aggressively. Seems like a big witch hunt is in the works.

2/3/12 4:17 PM by chicagosmma

Rob is an excellent ref --TTT for Rob!

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