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On August 19th the Nevada State Athletic Commission approved a few small tweaks to the rules governing Mixed Martial Arts. They include a clarification of Vaseline use—thanks to a certain Hawaiian sore loser--and allowing 5-minute rounds for non-title fights. But the most interesting news is the addition of (limited) instant replay. For years there has been a debate over using replay in boxing, but only recently has the need in MMA been apparent.


When regulation is entirely based on one referee’s judgment, occasional missed fouls and bad calls are unavoidable. The solution is difficult because MMA bouts cannot function effectively with NFL-style reviewing. Imagine the long-rumoured superfight between UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and middleweight champ Anderson Silva. The atmosphere is electric, The Mandalay Bay Centre in Vegas is packed and bars across the country are overflowing with rabid fight fans. The fighters circle each other; Silva throws a couple wide hooks, GSP dodges, counters, and suddenly dives in for a slick double-leg take down. But just as the two are beating it out on the mat, GSP's corner calls for an instant replay over one of Silva's elbow strikes. The fighters are stood up, the ref strolls of to the side review the tape; and the excitement has been ripped out like a bad catheter.


However, the occurrence of overlooked fight-ending fouls has come to the point where something must be done. An incident that stands out in my mind is Mirko Crop Cop's recent blinding and beating of Mustapha Al Turk at UFC 99 –didn’t ref Dan Miragliotta find it odd that Turk suddenly spun around and covered his left eye with both hands? Granted, Turk was losing the match, but that's not reason enough to dish out a professional loss. This is a sport where one well-placed strike can instantly turn the tables.

Falsely-awarded victories are an outrageous thing to tolerate in a field where contracts can teeter on professional records—especially when the technology exists to substantially limit the problem without damaging the sport. All it takes is the right approach, which is exactly what the commission demonstrated by limiting instant replay to both the referee's discretion as well to the ends of MMA bouts. That is exactly where replay can be valuable, as even with a clear camera shot of the eye poke, Turk is unlikely to successfully appeal the loss; commissions are notoriously reluctant to intervene after the fact, preferring to treat the ref's decision during the fight as law.

Allowing referees to have the final word on a matchup is understandable but it also brings up another important argument for the addition of replay. There is an extremely fine balance to maintain in MMA competitions; every event has at least one fight where fans deride an early intervention by the ref. Conversely, a brief hesitation can result in a helpless fighter being pummelled—Mario Yamasaki's few seconds of delay seemed downright cruel at "UFC: Fight For the Troops" as Corey Hill ate punches while curling up with a ghastly broken leg. Instant replay offers some much-deserved assistance to referees who have to pick up on lightning-fast blows while dancing around the action.


Yet even with the recent ruling, it remains to be seen whether instant replay will ever be utilized in a major event. The NSAC's changes only apply in Nevada or foreign events where a representative from the NSAC is in charge of regulation. And the UFC and other MMA organizations are anxious to spread across North America as more American States and Canadian provinces begin to legalize events—all these new locations bring new commissions that will come to a decision on their own time. As a result, instant replay could be quickly left behind and unavailable when it could make the difference between a fair fight. Furthermore, even if it were available, referees may opt to stick with their own judgement regardless.


What makes martial arts exciting is the mash-up of precision, timing, brute strength and strategy. To maintain fans, the chaotic element must be preserved, and as such instant replay should be kept limited. But when the sport is not fair to the competitors, it begins to lose the legitimacy of competition. Anything that can promote fairness without damaging the sport should be included.

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