Scoring controversies are good for MMA in the long run

Let me start off this post with a plea to MMA writers (bloggers really) across the interweb.  Please, pretty please do not spend the next month rehashing the beat to death story of how to change the scoring system in MMA and which scoring system would be best.  It has been discussed, discussed, and discussed.  The intention of the post is not to discuss what I believe should be the scoring system or who I believe won the fight.  You can believe Joe Rogan's tweet that Belcher was "F***ING ROBBED" or you can believe Leland Roling that Akiyama definitely won, it does not matter.  What matters are the fact that both opinions exist and the controversy that surrounds the fight.  

It pains me to say this, but my beautifully constructed works of art (I'm talking about posts just in case you were not sure) will not make a difference.  Yes, people banning together against a social injustice can make a difference, but bloggers complaining against the scoring system probably will not get it done.  What we need is controversy.  People are not going fix what is not broken and while the judging/scoring in MMA has problems, it is not completely broken.  The truth is that the majority of fights are scored correctly and the right individual is awarded the victory.  If a person's watch stops they will get the watch fixed.  If it stops again they will probably get it fixed again, but if it stops a third time then they probably will replace the watch.  I know that is a crude (crappy) analogy, but hopefully the point comes across.  People are generally reluctant to reinvent the wheel unless they absolutely have to.  MMA does not currently NEED to get a different scoring system because they have not been forced to yet. 

An Akiyama/Belcher or Hamil/Bisping fight are not going to act as a catalyst for change. We will be upset in the short term, but we need a scoring controversy in a title fight.  The outcry among MMA hardcore fans will happen every time there is scoring dispute and we will go into debate mode, but the casual fan (who drives all sports) does not care if Belcher or Hamil should have gotten the proverbial "W."  We need this to happen with the big boys and we need it to be an actual robbery instead of a dispute.  Despite Rogan's comments, a robbery is when there is no absolute way someone could have scored the fight in a certain manner.  It occurs when every single person knows without a doubt that loser was actually the winner.  A case could easily have been made for Akiyama and it was definitely controversial, but not a robbery.

These scoring disputes will add up and hopefully motivate the powers that be, but until they HAVE to change the system things will stay the same.  The controversy surrounding the fight at UFC 100 helps bring to light the problems with MMA scoring, but we need either a dispute with the top draws or an actual robbery on a main event card. The competitor in me will never root for a scoring dispute, but the MMA fan who wants an appropriate scoring system is waiting for it to happen.

UFC 100 coverage