The judgment for UFC Noche’s main event seems to have ruffled some feathers in the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Alexa Grasso was defending her Flyweight title against Valentina Shevchenko this past weekend on UFC Noche. The match ended in a tie because one of the judges decided to score the final round 10-8 in Grasso’s favor.
Mike Bell should never be allowed to judge another fight
How do you score a 10-8 round for Grasso in round 5? Like WTF are you watching dumbass?!!
Valentina got robbed 100% #UFCNoche #UFCFightNightpic.twitter.com/UvCmiBtC2o
— AR Slick (@amir7reza7) September 17, 2023
A 10-8 is rare in UFC scoring. Judges are trained in a way so that they can correctly decide when a round deserves to be scored as a 10-8. Usually, the fighter who is a clear-cut winner of the round by a margin gets a 10-8 in their favor. Otherwise, the score is usually 10-9.
Grasso vs. Shevchenko was judged by Sal D’Amato Junichiro Kamijo, and Mike Bell. Sal scored the five-round bout 48-47 in favor of Shevchenko, and Kamijo scored 48-47 in favor of Grasso, however, Bell scored the bout 47-47 eventually declaring the bout a draw.
When the scorecards were revealed, it was found that Bell scored the final round 10-8 in favor of Grasso. On the other hand, Sal and Kamijo scored it 10-9 in favor of Grasso. Bell’s controversial 10-8 decided the fate of the match. The judge and the NSAC declined to comment on the matter.
Nevada State Athletic Commission will be holding a special 10-8 training session for all licensed judges on Wednesday, I’m told.
Of course, this is in light of Saturday’s scorecard controversy.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 19, 2023
However, it has been revealed by Ariel Helwani of the MMA Hour that the NSAC has taken things seriously. He posted on X, “Nevada State Athletic Commission will be holding a special 10-8 training session for all licensed judges on Wednesday, I’m told.
Of course, this is in light of Saturday’s scorecard controversy.”
Bell’s 10-8 was heavily criticized by many including Shevchenko herself. Helwani further informed that there are no official statements yet. But, the situation was being taken seriously this time.
ABC’s criteria for a 10-8 round has seen significant changes over the years
The Association of Boxing Commission (ABC) is a North American boxing and MMA organization that overlooks the UFC among other promotions. The ABC sets the Unified Rules for MMA that are adopted by the judges for scoring.
In 2001, when the Unified Rules were first written, a 10-8 round would be when one of the fighters “overwhelmingly dominates” the other. The rule was tweaked in 2012. The 10-8 round criteria in 2012 were: “When a contestant wins by a large margin, by effective striking and or effective grappling that have great impact on the opponent.”
Judges were taught that a “large margin” would mean domination. However, it was still open for interpretation. In 2017, the latest criteria for a 10-8 round were released. It stated: “A score of 10-8 does not require a fighter to dominate their opponent for 5 minutes of a round. The score of 10-8 is utilized by the judge when the judge sees verifiable actions on the part of either fighter.
Mike Bell has no business ever judging again, that was not a 10-8 round. Under the unified rules the criteria for a 10-8 is Damage, Duration and Dominance – which grasso did not achieve considering she lost the first 4 minutes of that round.
— Cody Hill (@C_Hill93) September 17, 2023
Judges shall ALWAYS give a score of 10-8 when the judge has established that one fighter has dominated the action of the round, had duration of the domination and also impacted their opponent with either effective strikes or effective grappling maneuvers that have diminished the abilities of their opponent.”
As per the criteria stated above, Bell scored the fifth round 10-8 in favor of Grasso. It is not possible to get his exact interpretation and intention behind the scoring as he has declined to explain.
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