Combat sport judges have one of the most critiqued jobs in the industry. With strict scoring criteria in hand judges are responsible for interpreting the action that takes place before them and ultimately determine who is the winner of a contest, from their vantage point, should it reach the allotted time limit.
Mixed martial arts (MMA), like other combat sports, consists of rounds. In ONE Championship particularly, regular bouts last up to three, five-minute rounds while title bouts are five rounds.
Three judges are appointed to oversee the action and determine which fighter outperformed the other if the match reaches a decision.
Unlike boxing and other MMA promotions, an entire fight is judged as a whole, instead of by rounds like in the 10-point Must System. If one fighter is deemed to have performed better than the other throughout the course of an entire fight, he is decided to be the victor.
Judges are independent entities who make up the part of the officiating group that oversees a mixed martial arts event. It is important to note that MMA officials are not employed by the organisation that they are officiating and act as an independent body at all times. This is to ensure fair judging and an even playing field for all fighters.
Salven Lagumbay of the Philippines is a highly respected combat sports official and has a wealth of experience and knowledge in the industry. He was able to give the Myanmar Times some of his time to answer a few key questions regarding his role as an MMA official.
"Being a judge, official or referee, it helps when you are passionate about the sport and have a background in it," said Lagumbay.
"Like myself, I do boxing, wrestling, Yaw-Yan (Filipino Kickboxing), Pekiti-Tersia (Filipino Escrima/Knife Fighting) and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. So, being able to contribute to the sport that I love so much means a lot to me," he added.
"When ONE Championship is being aired live worldwide to millions of fans, all eyes are on us judges to make the best decision and judgment of the fight so it can be a difficult job," Lagumbay stressed.
"But I think MMA officials need criticism in order to make their job better because if no one would care what you do, how will you improve in being a good official?"
Lagumbay feels however, that although most fighters have judging criteria in their mind, once they step inside the ring they oftentimes forget about the judging aspect but try to score a knockout or a submission instead. This approach is best, because it removes the onus on the judges to accurately score the fight. Instead, fighters are given the ability to win decisively, and in an entertaining fashion.
There are so many more people behind the scenes that large scale events like a mixed martial arts show go off without a hitch, but roles like judging, being in the public eye, are some of the most important in the sport and have the most impact in the outcome of a fight.
Fighters on the other hand, are matched based on record, skill, style and intangible qualities.
As much as possible, fighters are evenly paired against each other to provide a solid foundation to foster action and excitement. Since the sport is predicated on entertainment value for fans, a stringent ruleset must be enforced to place fighter health and safety above all, while still being able to give them a sturdy battlefield to showcase their best techniques.
It is interesting to pair various martial arts disciplines against one another, this is the whole premise of MMA. One classic example is pitting a striker against a grappler.
A striking ace is known for powerful kicks and punches, and is known to have knockout power featuring an effective stand-up game. A grappler on the other hand is masterful on the ground and can end the fight instantly if he is able to secure a match-ending submission hold.
The grappler versus grappler aspect is intriguing because it will be a high-level matchup of two experienced submission specialists. Who's technique will reign supreme?
Diversity of fight styles and the promise of action-packed battles is what mixed martial arts is all about.