MMA judge Doug Crosby has been under fire of late over his scoring of the controversial Pimblett vs Gordon fight at UFC 281. Crosby scored the fight in favor of Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett, which many fans called a “robbery”. Now, in a recent episode of Chael Sonnen’s You’re Welcome podcast, Crosby is attempting to set the record straight.
Most of his argument hinges on the assertion that most fans don’t understand the rules of the game. “Over the last 15 years when you talk the fighters, the overarching comment — and I’m not going to call it a complaint, I’ll call it a comment or a concern — is that effective grappling is not given enough weight in the scoring criteria. Recently, I don’t know how recently, but the scoring criteria has been modified and updated so that effective striking and effective grappling are considered equal.
Judge Doug Crosby Fires Back at Criticism Over Paddy the Baddy Decision
If effective grappling is considered the equal of effective striking, and then you look at any of my scores through that newly ground mental lens, the scores may become easier to understand. But that has to do with reaching and understanding the criteria and I don’t know who does that and who doesn’t.
You’ve got to assign a numerical value to what you just saw and on average you get about 15 seconds to turn that score in. If you write off about five of those seconds for the time it takes to write it, that leaves you about 10 seconds to make a decision about who won a round and who lost a round, in the most sophisticated, dynamic sport featuring the best athletes in the world.
As a judge that’s what you are doing. I do everything I can to avail myself of whatever knowledge and insight I can get from the fighters, first and foremost, from the fighters.” Crosby also took aim at the MMA media.
“If you want good judges and good judging, they cannot fear the lurking shadow of millionaire pundits when it comes to the decisions they make.
They can’t fear the lurking shadow of members of the media and I have great respect for genuine members of the MMA media. They think I’m some hostile boogeyman but we’re not supposed to talk to the press and any reporter who comes up to me at a show and wants to just talk about judging philosophy or any of the things that people should take into account, any one [can come talk to me].
A lot of the people in the MMA media already have a preconceived notion and they’re only going to take out of whatever you tell them confirms that bias. That’s called confirmation bias. That’s an old trick and it works too often.”
Do you think Crosby had it right in the Pimblett fight? Let us know in the comments.
