THE CLINCH REPORT

UFC 142 was supposed to create clarity, with regards to the welterweight division. Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit were set to fight for the Interim Welterweight Title, with the winner set to unify the belt when George St.Pierre returned from knee surgery.

Now, The fight is over, Carlos Condit is the Interim Title holder, Nick Diaz says he is retiring, and George St.Pierre re injured his knee during the fight decision(jumping out of his seat)!

The fight was extremelly close throughout. For the better part of 5 rounds Nick Diaz stalked and backed down the leg-kicking Condit. Nick Diaz secured the only take-down, late in the final frame, as he struggled to sink in a submission before time expired. Once again, the  fighters left the fights decision to the judges, and once again the judges failed to perform.

The fact that Condit won, is not the issue. In a fight as close as that was, anyone can be on the wrong side of a one point decision.The issue was two judges seeing the fight as 49-47 for a fighter who spent the entire night backpedaling. Oscar de la Hoya lost a controversial decision because he was perceived to be running, to secure his lead on points. Condit was doing the exact same thing, sometimes even running as he backed against the cage. Apparently those judges were not involved with overseeing this fight.

It has become commonplace to hear Dana White speak of the perils of leaving the fight to the judges. However in the professional fight world, that is unacceptable as a solution. The judging, and the refereeing has been extremely inconsistent. Last nights fights magnify this point.  The Diaz v Condit fight was just the latest example of judges who mystified most spectators.

The UFC is not in control of the officiating, or the judging. These are issues that are under the Athletic Commissions umbrella. However, with all the money the UFC is putting into these commissions pockets, you would think there complaints might carry some weight. There will always be room for mistakes, and no judge or referee is perfect, but there is ways to fix the problems.