Tactical Aggression MMA

I no longer work for the UFC, and while I can’t speak to what influence they may or may not have, I personally don’t believe this was a directive from the promotion. Perhaps the referee was influenced by the crowd’s boos, or perhaps it was simply poor judgment. Either way, a professional referee has absolutely no business trying to make a sporting contest more entertaining. A referee’s responsibility is to enforce the rules, not manufacture excitement. The moment entertainment value begins influencing officiating decisions, I believe the integrity of the sport also becomes compromised. When a fighter is punished for successfully establishing a dominant position, we’re no longer rewarding effective MMA. We’re actually undermining it.