Petr Yan and Sean O'Malley after their fight at UFC 280 (MMA Fighting)
Sean O’Malley offers a solution to fix poor judging in MMA
Judging is one of the most debatable and controversial components of mixed martial arts. Scorecards can be just as perplexing for fans as they are for seasoned fighters. Unfortunate as it may be, judging is not an exact science. Several UFC fights over the years have been the victim of poor judging and several fighters have been at the receiving end of a poor decision.
Reviewing the judgement criteria reveals that the judges have a lot to consider. This also implies that judges have a lot to remember and understand, and that some of the criteria are unclear. Rarely do we hear a viable alternative to the current system, despite the fact that this system is frequently criticized.
Regardless of the judging system in place, flaws will always exist. The secret is to limit these issues as much as feasible. The athletic commissions deserve credit for making positive adjustments to the scoring system, but both the mechanism and the quality of judging still require improvement.
With all that in mind, top-ranked bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley has offered his take on how to fix scoring in MMA. Speaking in an episode of Bromalley, ‘Sugar’ said,
“A lot of people are saying add two more, at least have five judges would help a lot. I’m saying that would help a lot, and the caliber of judges. There is some good judges out there. Whoever scored my fight (with Yan), they’re good judges. I’m not even being biased, technically they are good judges. If you look at the fight, I did win, so they got it right.”
The video has since been deleted from YouTube.
Sean O’Malley, one of the UFC’s most promising up-and-coming fighters, stated on his YouTube page on Friday that he has signed an eight-fight contract extension with the promotion.
The top contender at bantamweight did not share financial details of the contract, but he did say he bargained without a manager and felt the UFC compensated him fairly.
“I got a number I’m very happy with,” O’Malley said. “I truly don’t think any manager that I had could have went in there and got me what I got. That also helps with the relationship I’ve built with the UFC. I feel like I have earned this contract.”
During the meeting in Las Vegas, O’Malley said he primarily talked with UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell, but he did have Imran Jawaid, owner of the leading MMA gear brand Sanabul, with him. O’Malley stated that his request to receive pay-per-view cash from his matches without being the champion “didn’t fly.” Still, he described the contract as “quite gracious.”
The Arizona-based fighter recognized that eight fights is a lengthy span, but he believes he will be able to renegotiate a higher salary with the UFC before the contract expires.
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