The Doggy Bag

Everyone answers to somebody, so we, the staff at Sherdog.com, have decided to defer to our readers.

“The Doggy Bag” gives you the opportunity to speak about what’s on your mind from time to time.

Our reporters, columnists, radio hosts, and editors will chime in with our answers and thoughts, so keep the emails coming.

This week, readers weigh in on a variety of topics coming out of UFC 123: the controversial release of middleweight Gerald Harris, the announcement of B.J. Penn taking on Jon Fitch, and the scoring in the Quinton “Rampage” Jackson-Lyoto Machida bout. Readers also take a look at fights to come in the month of December, focusing on flyweights and New Year's Eve.

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Why don’t the commissions display the round scores as the fight is progressing? Each judge’s score should be displayed and communicated to the fighters’ corner at the end of each round giving everyone an idea of how the fight is being viewed. This would give the fighter a chance to adjust, and the public time to digest the crazy that’s coming. Some of the most exciting parts of other sports are the points where a person or a team knows exactly where they stand as the clock is ticking down and take the chance to be heroic. I think this is something that MMA could take from the stick and ball sports to create more fan interest and understanding, as well as giving the fighter the opportunity of knowing what is happening in the sport in which he is competing.
-- Craig from Washington

Brian Knapp, features editor: I like this idea -- a lot. However, hang with me while I play devil’s advocate.

I’m not sure how judges would feel being placed under that kind of microscope in such an emotionally charged setting. I also wonder whether or not crowd, corner and fighter reactions to scores being posted between rounds could skew how the judges see and ultimately score a given bout. And what of the fighter who jumps out to a big lead? Does he coast to the finish line knowing he has two rounds in the bank in a three-round fight? Those issues need to be discussed and addressed before we move in the direction of open scoring.

That being said, Craig, you are 100 percent correct in your assessment that providing scores between rounds would add another layer of drama, intrigue and tension to the sport. In most cases, the heightened interest could be maintained all the way through to the announcement of the decision by withholding the judges’ scores from the final round.

Perhaps we could move towards the open scoring model by taking baby steps. Start by having judges communicate their scores to representatives from each corner, and get them used to having some sunlight shined upon them. In that scenario, at least the two people to whom the outcome of a match matters most -- the fighters themselves -- would know where they stand.