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Longtime mixed martial arts judge Doug Crosby has reacted after coming under fire for some controversial scorecards at recent events.
While the debate surrounding the scoring criteria has long been an ever-present in the sport, it’s reached fever-pitch this month following a number of widely disputed decisions and individual scores.
Although the split-draw conclusion to the UFC 282 headliner drew attention, even from a dictator who lambasted Dana White after seeing Magomed Ankalaev exit the Octagon without the title, there were two other fights that resulted in scorecards perceived by many as more worrisome.
The first came in the Bellator 289 headliner, which saw Danny Sabatello and interim Bellator Bantamweight Champion Raufeon Stots collide. While many agreed with the two judges who scored the contest 48-47 in favor of the titleholder, the third official saw things differently, favoring the challenger in all five rounds.
Attention on the judging debate didn’t wane the following night, when Paddy Pimblett’s controversial unanimous decision victory over Jared Gordon at UFC 282 was met with significant backlash.
The one constant? Judge Douglas Crosby.
As well as handing in the 50-45 scorecard for Sabatello, which sits as the only time in the MMADecisions.com database that a judge has favored the loser of a five-round contest in every single frame, Crosby was one of the three judges who saw Pimblett as the rightful victor in Las Vegas.
Having been the subject of the controversy emerging from the Bellator event and part of the UFC-centered one that followed, much of the attention of the MMA community has been on Crosby.
Crosby Responds To Judging Criticism, Suggests “Imperfection” Can Be Beneficial
Recently, Crosby was handed an opportunity to respond having been invited on a podcast hosted by his friend and former UFC star Chael Sonnen.
Prior to interviewing the judge, “The American Gangster” had already sought to defend him in a YouTube video, specifically questioning the backlash towards Crosby traveling from Connecticut to Las Vegas to work events on back-to-back nights.
Having addressed that himself by suggesting those who shared that sentiment are likely “fabulously wealthy” rather than “working class,” Crosby gave his take on the always-prevalent judging debate as a whole.
Rather than looking to justify the specific scorecards that caused uproar, he pointed out that MMA is still in its infancy, meaning mistakes are “unavoidable.” Crosby also went a step further, suggesting they can even be beneficial for advancing the sport.
“When you talk about MMA administration, it has become so dynamic and so focused on excellence… There is no perfect way of administrating anything, much less something this new, this incredibly sophisticated, and moving this fast,” Crosby said. “I’ve only seen perfection twice in my life. Perfection’s really hard to get. Sometimes — and this is gonna sound slightly abstract — but sometimes the imperfections are what makes things interesting. Like video games. If you solve a video game quickly, it winds up getting sold back to Gamestop. It needs to have flaws.
“We are in the infancy of MMA… it’s 20, 25 years, and that’s a blink of an eye when you think of the time other sports have had to develop a grammar and to develop a system that rewards successful achievements. We are working towards that, but other sports older than MMA by 100 years still have controversies in scoring,” Crosby added. “Maybe that’s unavoidable. Maybe the controversies are what moves the sport forward. Imperfection makes things stronger sometimes, like alloyed metals.”
Despite those statements, the fallout from Crosby’s controversial scorecards has gone beyond perceived “flaws” in the scoring criteria, with many pointing to the judge’s interpretation and application of it as the issue.
Renowned MMA coach Erick Nicksick even recently recounted his negative experience during a call held for coaches by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Numerous media members, meanwhile, have recalled instances of Crosby putting forth a questionable rationale in regards to his scoring of fights.
Doug Crosby was absolutely the outlier in a CSAC training meeting I sat in on. He explains rationale for scoring rounds in a way that's not in line with either the modern written criteria or the way other judges will explain their rounds. Zero surprise @Eric_XCMMA says this. https://t.co/qcNkrEyfNN— Scott Fontana (@Scott_Fontana) December 15, 2022
What do you make of Doug Crosby’s response to the recent judging controversy?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Longtime mixed martial arts judge Doug Crosby has reacted after coming under fire for some controversial scorecards at recent events.
While the debate surrounding the scoring criteria has long been an ever-present in the sport, it’s reached fever-pitch this month following a number of widely disputed decisions and individual scores.
Although the split-draw conclusion to the UFC 282 headliner drew attention, even from a dictator who lambasted Dana White after seeing Magomed Ankalaev exit the Octagon without the title, there were two other fights that resulted in scorecards perceived by many as more worrisome.
The first came in the Bellator 289 headliner, which saw Danny Sabatello and interim Bellator Bantamweight Champion Raufeon Stots collide. While many agreed with the two judges who scored the contest 48-47 in favor of the titleholder, the third official saw things differently, favoring the challenger in all five rounds.
Attention on the judging debate didn’t wane the following night, when Paddy Pimblett’s controversial unanimous decision victory over Jared Gordon at UFC 282 was met with significant backlash.
The one constant? Judge Douglas Crosby.
As well as handing in the 50-45 scorecard for Sabatello, which sits as the only time in the MMADecisions.com database that a judge has favored the loser of a five-round contest in every single frame, Crosby was one of the three judges who saw Pimblett as the rightful victor in Las Vegas.
Having been the subject of the controversy emerging from the Bellator event and part of the UFC-centered one that followed, much of the attention of the MMA community has been on Crosby.
Crosby Responds To Judging Criticism, Suggests “Imperfection” Can Be Beneficial
Recently, Crosby was handed an opportunity to respond having been invited on a podcast hosted by his friend and former UFC star Chael Sonnen.
Prior to interviewing the judge, “The American Gangster” had already sought to defend him in a YouTube video, specifically questioning the backlash towards Crosby traveling from Connecticut to Las Vegas to work events on back-to-back nights.
Having addressed that himself by suggesting those who shared that sentiment are likely “fabulously wealthy” rather than “working class,” Crosby gave his take on the always-prevalent judging debate as a whole.
Rather than looking to justify the specific scorecards that caused uproar, he pointed out that MMA is still in its infancy, meaning mistakes are “unavoidable.” Crosby also went a step further, suggesting they can even be beneficial for advancing the sport.
“When you talk about MMA administration, it has become so dynamic and so focused on excellence… There is no perfect way of administrating anything, much less something this new, this incredibly sophisticated, and moving this fast,” Crosby said. “I’ve only seen perfection twice in my life. Perfection’s really hard to get. Sometimes — and this is gonna sound slightly abstract — but sometimes the imperfections are what makes things interesting. Like video games. If you solve a video game quickly, it winds up getting sold back to Gamestop. It needs to have flaws.
“We are in the infancy of MMA… it’s 20, 25 years, and that’s a blink of an eye when you think of the time other sports have had to develop a grammar and to develop a system that rewards successful achievements. We are working towards that, but other sports older than MMA by 100 years still have controversies in scoring,” Crosby added. “Maybe that’s unavoidable. Maybe the controversies are what moves the sport forward. Imperfection makes things stronger sometimes, like alloyed metals.”
Despite those statements, the fallout from Crosby’s controversial scorecards has gone beyond perceived “flaws” in the scoring criteria, with many pointing to the judge’s interpretation and application of it as the issue.
Renowned MMA coach Erick Nicksick even recently recounted his negative experience during a call held for coaches by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Numerous media members, meanwhile, have recalled instances of Crosby putting forth a questionable rationale in regards to his scoring of fights.
Doug Crosby was absolutely the outlier in a CSAC training meeting I sat in on. He explains rationale for scoring rounds in a way that's not in line with either the modern written criteria or the way other judges will explain their rounds. Zero surprise @Eric_XCMMA says this. https://t.co/qcNkrEyfNN
— Scott Fontana (@Scott_Fontana) December 15, 2022[/quote]
What do you make of Doug Crosby’s response to the recent judging controversy?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
While the debate surrounding the scoring criteria has long been an ever-present in the sport, it’s reached fever-pitch this month following a number of widely disputed decisions and individual scores.
Although the split-draw conclusion to the UFC 282 headliner drew attention, even from a dictator who lambasted Dana White after seeing Magomed Ankalaev exit the Octagon without the title, there were two other fights that resulted in scorecards perceived by many as more worrisome.
The first came in the Bellator 289 headliner, which saw Danny Sabatello and interim Bellator Bantamweight Champion Raufeon Stots collide. While many agreed with the two judges who scored the contest 48-47 in favor of the titleholder, the third official saw things differently, favoring the challenger in all five rounds.
Attention on the judging debate didn’t wane the following night, when Paddy Pimblett’s controversial unanimous decision victory over Jared Gordon at UFC 282 was met with significant backlash.
The one constant? Judge Douglas Crosby.
As well as handing in the 50-45 scorecard for Sabatello, which sits as the only time in the MMADecisions.com database that a judge has favored the loser of a five-round contest in every single frame, Crosby was one of the three judges who saw Pimblett as the rightful victor in Las Vegas.
Having been the subject of the controversy emerging from the Bellator event and part of the UFC-centered one that followed, much of the attention of the MMA community has been on Crosby.
Crosby Responds To Judging Criticism, Suggests “Imperfection” Can Be Beneficial
Recently, Crosby was handed an opportunity to respond having been invited on a podcast hosted by his friend and former UFC star Chael Sonnen.
Prior to interviewing the judge, “The American Gangster” had already sought to defend him in a YouTube video, specifically questioning the backlash towards Crosby traveling from Connecticut to Las Vegas to work events on back-to-back nights.
Having addressed that himself by suggesting those who shared that sentiment are likely “fabulously wealthy” rather than “working class,” Crosby gave his take on the always-prevalent judging debate as a whole.
Rather than looking to justify the specific scorecards that caused uproar, he pointed out that MMA is still in its infancy, meaning mistakes are “unavoidable.” Crosby also went a step further, suggesting they can even be beneficial for advancing the sport.
“When you talk about MMA administration, it has become so dynamic and so focused on excellence… There is no perfect way of administrating anything, much less something this new, this incredibly sophisticated, and moving this fast,” Crosby said. “I’ve only seen perfection twice in my life. Perfection’s really hard to get. Sometimes — and this is gonna sound slightly abstract — but sometimes the imperfections are what makes things interesting. Like video games. If you solve a video game quickly, it winds up getting sold back to Gamestop. It needs to have flaws.
“We are in the infancy of MMA… it’s 20, 25 years, and that’s a blink of an eye when you think of the time other sports have had to develop a grammar and to develop a system that rewards successful achievements. We are working towards that, but other sports older than MMA by 100 years still have controversies in scoring,” Crosby added. “Maybe that’s unavoidable. Maybe the controversies are what moves the sport forward. Imperfection makes things stronger sometimes, like alloyed metals.”
Despite those statements, the fallout from Crosby’s controversial scorecards has gone beyond perceived “flaws” in the scoring criteria, with many pointing to the judge’s interpretation and application of it as the issue.
Renowned MMA coach Erick Nicksick even recently recounted his negative experience during a call held for coaches by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Numerous media members, meanwhile, have recalled instances of Crosby putting forth a questionable rationale in regards to his scoring of fights.
Doug Crosby was absolutely the outlier in a CSAC training meeting I sat in on. He explains rationale for scoring rounds in a way that's not in line with either the modern written criteria or the way other judges will explain their rounds. Zero surprise @Eric_XCMMA says this. https://t.co/qcNkrEyfNN— Scott Fontana (@Scott_Fontana) December 15, 2022
What do you make of Doug Crosby’s response to the recent judging controversy?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
While the debate surrounding the scoring criteria has long been an ever-present in the sport, it’s reached fever-pitch this month following a number of widely disputed decisions and individual scores.
Although the split-draw conclusion to the UFC 282 headliner drew attention, even from a dictator who lambasted Dana White after seeing Magomed Ankalaev exit the Octagon without the title, there were two other fights that resulted in scorecards perceived by many as more worrisome.
The first came in the Bellator 289 headliner, which saw Danny Sabatello and interim Bellator Bantamweight Champion Raufeon Stots collide. While many agreed with the two judges who scored the contest 48-47 in favor of the titleholder, the third official saw things differently, favoring the challenger in all five rounds.
Attention on the judging debate didn’t wane the following night, when Paddy Pimblett’s controversial unanimous decision victory over Jared Gordon at UFC 282 was met with significant backlash.
The one constant? Judge Douglas Crosby.
As well as handing in the 50-45 scorecard for Sabatello, which sits as the only time in the MMADecisions.com database that a judge has favored the loser of a five-round contest in every single frame, Crosby was one of the three judges who saw Pimblett as the rightful victor in Las Vegas.
Having been the subject of the controversy emerging from the Bellator event and part of the UFC-centered one that followed, much of the attention of the MMA community has been on Crosby.
Crosby Responds To Judging Criticism, Suggests “Imperfection” Can Be Beneficial
Recently, Crosby was handed an opportunity to respond having been invited on a podcast hosted by his friend and former UFC star Chael Sonnen.
Prior to interviewing the judge, “The American Gangster” had already sought to defend him in a YouTube video, specifically questioning the backlash towards Crosby traveling from Connecticut to Las Vegas to work events on back-to-back nights.
Having addressed that himself by suggesting those who shared that sentiment are likely “fabulously wealthy” rather than “working class,” Crosby gave his take on the always-prevalent judging debate as a whole.
Rather than looking to justify the specific scorecards that caused uproar, he pointed out that MMA is still in its infancy, meaning mistakes are “unavoidable.” Crosby also went a step further, suggesting they can even be beneficial for advancing the sport.
“When you talk about MMA administration, it has become so dynamic and so focused on excellence… There is no perfect way of administrating anything, much less something this new, this incredibly sophisticated, and moving this fast,” Crosby said. “I’ve only seen perfection twice in my life. Perfection’s really hard to get. Sometimes — and this is gonna sound slightly abstract — but sometimes the imperfections are what makes things interesting. Like video games. If you solve a video game quickly, it winds up getting sold back to Gamestop. It needs to have flaws.
“We are in the infancy of MMA… it’s 20, 25 years, and that’s a blink of an eye when you think of the time other sports have had to develop a grammar and to develop a system that rewards successful achievements. We are working towards that, but other sports older than MMA by 100 years still have controversies in scoring,” Crosby added. “Maybe that’s unavoidable. Maybe the controversies are what moves the sport forward. Imperfection makes things stronger sometimes, like alloyed metals.”
Despite those statements, the fallout from Crosby’s controversial scorecards has gone beyond perceived “flaws” in the scoring criteria, with many pointing to the judge’s interpretation and application of it as the issue.
Renowned MMA coach Erick Nicksick even recently recounted his negative experience during a call held for coaches by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Numerous media members, meanwhile, have recalled instances of Crosby putting forth a questionable rationale in regards to his scoring of fights.
Doug Crosby was absolutely the outlier in a CSAC training meeting I sat in on. He explains rationale for scoring rounds in a way that's not in line with either the modern written criteria or the way other judges will explain their rounds. Zero surprise @Eric_XCMMA says this. https://t.co/qcNkrEyfNN
— Scott Fontana (@Scott_Fontana) December 15, 2022[/quote]
What do you make of Doug Crosby’s response to the recent judging controversy?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
