Fixing fight judging: why fighters and commentators say MMA scoring is broken
October 6, 2026 · 16 min read
Fight Companion panels argue over the 10-point must system and disputed decisions, Rico Verhoeven lays out how he would fix judging after a controversial stoppage, and John McCarthy explains how judges actually see a fight. Bad scorecards change careers and pay, so the specific reforms these insiders propose matter to anyone who follows combat sports.
The rules, numbers and steps worth keeping in front of you.
- Rogan: MMA borrowed the 10-point must system from boxing, a one-dimensional sport.
- Rogan prefers Pride-style judging of the fight as a whole.
- Panels: one-sided rounds should be scored 10-8 far more often.
- Damage is supposed to rank above control, but cards often reward control.
- One judge was removed mid-event after scoring all three rounds against what the panel saw.
- Blocked shots can look like landed ones.
- Verhoeven: open scoring changed how he fought and led to the stoppage.
- Verhoeven wants five judges, instant review and transparency.
- Rogan: with three judges, two wrong cards decide the fight.
- McCarthy: most judges work hard from the worst view in the house.
- McCarthy: five judges would not change outcomes, in his experience.
- McCarthy: split decisions are often honest disagreement over a close fight.
- Serra, Thomas and Rallo: win bonuses turn a judging error into a halved paycheck.
- No one has a complete replacement system everyone accepts.
This is the short form. The full insight has every expert's reasoning, their own words and the sources.