Matt Brown’s latest loss has finest reinforced his belief that one thing must be carried out about how MMA judging is dealt with.
After ending up on the wrong end of a chop up resolution following a thrilling scrap with Bryan Barberena this past Saturday at UFC Columbus, Brown is assured that he did ample to win. He believes that most would agree and design the finger at the cageside judges for getting it wrong.
“I mediate my feelings are pretty obvious,” Brown said Wednesday on The MMA Hour. “I positively conception I acquired. I mediate the customary consensus used to be that I acquired, and then these judges they true — what are we gonna maintain, simply?”
The third round proved to be the deciding frame as all three judges agreed on Spherical 1 (Brown) and Spherical 2 (Barberena). Barberena earned a pair of 10-9s to win the chop up nod, and Brown is left to wonder if he would possibly perchance contain carried out more to seal the deal.
Extra importantly, Brown thinks opponents shouldn’t must secure an educated bet as to where they stand in the contest and that birth scoring must unruffled be implemented.
“I was very drained, as used to be Barberena,” he said. “No question about it, we were positively drained. That used to be a grueling strive in opposition to, we had a form of stress-free. It used to be this sort of stress-free strive in opposition to. It’s hard attributable to you build all that into it and then the judges win it away. One part that more or much less bothers me, it’s repeatedly me about this sport is I don’t know that the judges are taking it away. I stroll into that third round pondering I obtained the first two rounds, I can play it safe, I can are trying to determine him apart, which is more or much less what I was attempting to realize. Searching to determine him apart and no longer in actuality win big probabilities, but additionally no longer be a band slip away.
“It’s more or much less ridiculous. In every other sport you secure to contain a study the gain, simply? A range of than boxing, I divulge, no longer primarily strive in opposition to sports actions, but in wrestling or for individuals who’re taking half in football and it’s the fourth quarter, that you just’re down by a touchdown, you’ve obtained to pass for it. You’ve obtained to throw the Hail Mary.”
On MMA Choices, 15 media members scored the bout for Barberena, while four had it for Brown (two scored the bout a plot). In fan voting, 48.6 p.c scored it 29-28 Barberena with 29-28 Brown at the motivate of at 37.1 p.c.
When it used to be suggested that birth scoring would possibly perchance result in opponents taking half in it safe to employ a lead in the final round, Brown scoffed at the thought. No topic potential considerations, he believes the professionals of opponents having more files to work with outweigh the cons.
“That’s a terribly silly argument,” Brown said. “When you verify wrestling, they know in the occasion that they’re down. Now, I would additionally be in prefer of every other things esteem perchance stalling [penalties] esteem they maintain in wrestling. Indulge in, you would possibly perchance perchance be ready to’t true slip your entire third round for individuals who’re up. However all every other time, it’s very subjective.
“However as subjective because the scoring is already as we’ve seen in my strive in opposition to, which everybody can secure their bear conception about it, but it’s obvious that the strive in opposition to used to be very discontinuance, and neither one among us knew where we in actuality stood. We were finest going off our bear instinct of where we stood. I conception it used to be very certain in my watch, but obviously I was wrong. So why must unruffled we no longer secure to know where we stand?”
This used to be the 2nd loss in three appearances for Brown, the other being a unanimous resolution loss to Carlos Condit in January 2021. Brown feels esteem he acquired that one as effectively, and he has questions in regards to the remark of judging that transcend whether or no longer opponents must unruffled know the round-by-round scores.
“I mediate there’s rather a lot broken with your entire scoring system altogether,” Brown said. “I’ve watched my strive in opposition to as soon as or twice. That’s true one example. I’ve had just a few other fights that I’m very certain that I acquired a resolution, but they gave it to the other guy. I don’t know precisely what they’re scoring. I’ve been in this sport for 20 years, I’ve been in the UFC 14 years now, I don’t know precisely what they’re scoring.
“For instance, they gave the 2nd round to Barberena. I acquired no much less than four minutes of that round I mediate pretty definitely. He rocked me as soon as and acquired perchance the final 10 seconds, perchance the final minute, and in yelp that they all gave him the round. However it’s esteem, dude, I true did four minutes of work. Why are you giving him the round primarily based fully off one minute?
“So all every other time, I don’t know what it is far that they’re scoring precisely. In any case, I would compare it up and browse about it, which I in actuality contain, but I don’t know if these guys realize the sport effectively ample, and I don’t know if opponents [becoming judges] are the simply respond either. Warring parties are very biased, and that’s a sharp station additionally.”
Requested whether he thinks his nook must unruffled be to blame for offering the simply learn of the a success fighter, Brown stood up for his crew.
“My nook told me I was up two rounds,” Brown said. “[I’m not mad at them] – they were simply. The judges were wrong, no longer my nook.”
