Vancouvers idrottskommission förklarar domslutet bakom Michihiro Omigawa vs Darren Elkins

Bild av Esther Lin.

En av de två riktigt kontroversiella domsluten på UFC 131 var mellan Michihiro Omigawa vs Darren Elkins som var den första matchen för kvällen. Även om det var jämnt så hade ändå Omigawa övertaget i stora delar av matchen, och i slutändan så var det en domare som hade nerverna att sätta 30-27 till Elkins fördel.

Det här var något som fick MMA-communityn att reagera, och UFCs VD Dana White att säga att en domare som sätter sådana siffror aldrig någonsin bör döma igen. Så naturligtvis var ordförande för Vancouvers idrottskommission Jonathan Tweedale lite småstött över alla reaktioner på detta domslut. Men han gjorde inte som de flesta ordföranden för idrottkommissioner och var tyst för att låta det rinna ur sanden. Han satte sig helt enkelt ner för att skriva ett öppet brev till alla intresserade:

In the first round, Elkins backed Omigawa up with punches the entire round. He controlled the center of the cage. He was throwing a lot more shots, and landing more — and in combination. If there is any controversy as to the outcome of the fight it must be because of the second round. That was a very challenging round to score. An argument can be made in favour of either fighter. Elkins landed more punches. At one point, when Omigawa came forward, he was stopped dead in his tracks by Elkins’ combination punches, and at another point he was slightly buckled. Due to Omigawa’s unusual stance and balance, it was difficult to tell exactly whether he was rocked by some of these shots. However, you could see Omigawa’s leg bend, and the control shift to Elkins as he landed the combo, stopping Omigawa in his tracks, taking the center of the cage, and going on the attack again. These sequences, as well as the total effective strikes landed, could reasonably warrant awarding the round to Elkins. Elkins didn’t land many more than Omigawa, but he did land more. (The Fightmetric numbers agree.) As to the blood – it represents something, but a cut can be caused by a glancing blow and some fighters just cut more readily than others.

That’s a round about which reasonable people can disagree. Close rounds like Round 2 of Omigawa vs Elkins serve as useful examples for discussion, to assist in refining and evolving the community’s understanding of the scoring criteria, generally. And that is a good thing for the sport.

Regards,
Jonathan Tweedale
Vancouver Athletic Commission

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