The Association of Boxing Commissioners is having its annual meetings currently in Clearwater, FL. The biggest thing is that they have had meetings to agree on minor changes in the judging criteria of MMA fights. Here were the following changes:
1) Effective defense has been removed as a criteria. Only offensive moves are to be used in scoring fights. This should end any debate or talks when people ask if defending a takedown should be scored as a positive, or blocking a submission, or avoiding strikes. The new ruling is that effective defense only helps you in that it keeps you alive to do offense, but only offensive moves are the ones to be scored.
2) Striking and grappling are of equal weight. Before the old criteria listed striking first and grappling second. Now they are equal, with the idea that they are weighed based on how much of the fight is standing and on the ground.
3) The term damage as a criteria has been replaced by the term effective damage.
4) Heavier strikes with impact should get more weight that just the number of strikes landed, most notably strikes that cause an opponent to obviously react, stagger, cut or bruiser, be in pain, as well as cumulative impact of strikes.
5) Grappling moves scored are takedowns, reversals and submissions, passing to dominant positions, use of active and threatening moves from the bottom, close submissions can't more than just attempted submissions and submissions that lead to people being tired are also weighed significantly.
6) Effective aggression is moving forward scoring with legal techniques, as well as attacking with strikes or submissions on the ground from either the top or bottom position.
7) Cage and ring control is dictating the pace, place and position
8) The current scoring system (ten point must) remains in place
