‘Its Never Going to Be Perfect’ – Dana White Backs UFC Scoring System

UFC President Dana White has helped build the UFC into the mighty powerhouse of MMA that it is today. The biggest MMA organization in the world, the UFC, sets the standard for MMA on a global stage.

However, the sport is still relatively young as compared to other major sports such as football and basketball. Hence, some rules still require time to develop over time with trial and error.

The UFC President has often criticized the scorecards of judges during UFC events, as some outrageous decisions have been scored. However, White believes that the system is still better than adopting an open scoring system.

Read: Dana White to Take Strict Actions Against Piracy of UFC Pay-Per-Views

Dana White is not interested in open scoring

A major talking point in most UFC fights that go to the judge’s decision is the scoring criteria. It’s not surprising these days when most fans and media are shocked by a judge’s decision. 

Dana White is famously known for telling his fighters to never leave it in the hands of the judges. Speaking during an online chat with ESPN+ subscribers hosted by Laura Sanko, Dana explained, “When we do the fights, I have an idea of who I think won or lost or whatever, but when I’m standing there with the belt, I don’t know what Bruce Buffer is going to say.”

When asked about what he thought about an open scoring system in the UFC, White explained, “If a guy knows that he’s up two rounds and you’re a professional fighter, you can absolutely stay away from a guy for an entire round and make the fight completely horrible. If you already know you’ve got two rounds in the bag, guarantee if you saw your score up there, all (you) have to do is stay away from this guy for the next five minutes. That makes for a lot of bad third rounds.”

However, he concluded that it would never be perfect as some fights would drive people insane or blow their bets as such things just go with the fight business. He added that watching the fight and waiting for the results are fun.

The UFC returns to Fight Island

The promotion will kick off their year, not in the United States but in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The UFC will hold three events starting on January 16, headlined by featherweights Max Holloway and Calvin Kattar. On January 20, Neil Magny and Michael Chiesa will take center stage in the main event after the fight between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev was canceled.

The UFC will look to close the show at Fight Island with a massive pay-per-view event. The UFC 257 headline will see the return of Conor McGregor, who will take on Dustin Poirier in a rematch from 2014. However, the card gets even better, as Michael Chandler will make his UFC debut against Dan Hooker on the January 23 card as well.

Read: Michael Chandler Says He Refused to Wait Anymore For a Fight