UFC 125 Results: MMA Judging Needs Work and 15 Other Lessons Learned

Don't let the headline fool you. For once, the actual judges were not the source of MMA's judging problems. The problem with the scoring of Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard at UFC 125 had more to do with the criteria given to the cageside judges.

The judges scored the UFC Lightweight Championship fight 48-46 Edgar, 48-46 Maynard and a 47-47 draw. The split draw allowed Edgar to retain his title, despite nearly being finished by Maynard in the first round.

In this case, the decision was not a result of bad judging. Instead, it was because of a lack of clarity in the criteria that the judges use to score rounds. There was some debate on whether the first round of the fight should have been scored 10-8 or 10-7 in favor of Maynard.

Perhaps, there was debate because of the lack of a clear line between what constitutes a 10-8 or 10-7 round in MMA. The rules state:

• A round is to be scored as a 10-8 round when a contestant overwhelmingly dominates by striking or grappling in a round.

• A round is to be scored as a 10-7 round when a contestant totally dominates by striking or grappling in a round.

Can you blame a judge for not being 100 percent sure what the difference is between overwhelming domination and total domination?

These judges are left to fend for themselves, while taking the blame for every close decision. Something needs to be done to help these judges, and that starts by clarifying the judging criteria.

Now, let's take a look at 15 other things that we learned from UFC 125.

The WEC Merger Will Be a Success

While it went un-aired, former WEC featherweights Diego Nunes and Mike Brown put on quite a performance at UFC 125. In the end, Nunes took a split decision from the former WEC featherweight champion.

Another featherweight bout featuring two former WEC fighters produced an exciting upset and a possible star in the making. Dustin Poirier dominated Josh Grispi, who had been scheduled to fight Jose Aldo for the UFC featherweight championship, for three rounds.

Not to mention, another WEC alumni, Pablo Garza, earned Knockout of the Night honors at The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale. Still more ex-WEC fighters performed well at that same event. Leonard Garcia was awarded Fight of the Night, and Nick Pace probably would made it a clean sweep of fight bonuses for the WEC transfers with Submission of the Night if he had made weight.

Anyone who has watched the WEC consistently knows that these lighter-weight fighters can put on exciting performances. Those who doubt them are about to find out what they have been missing.

The WEC Merger Brings More Than Just Talented Fighters

With so many exciting fights last night, I hate to use up slides on this, but those of you who saw the lineup of ring girls at UFC 125 will understand.

Say hello to new UFC ring girl Brittney Palmer, previously with the WEC.

Yeah...I doubt anyones eyes are on the text in this slide...

Arianny Celeste Is Still the Queen of the Octagon

Arianny wasn't about to let some new girl come in and steal her spotlight.

Alright, I'm sorry.

For those of you who came here to read about the fighters, I promise you'll have my full attention after this slide.

.........Alright, here we go.

Jacob Volkmann Is Funny

Ariel Helwani caught up with Jacob Volkmann after UFC 125.

After earning a split decision victory over Antonio McKee, Volkmann was asked who he would like to fight next.

Volkmann, a practicing chiropractor upset with recent government actions, responded, "...Obama...Someone has got to knock some sense into that idiot."

Phil Baroni Will Most Likely Be Cut By the UFC

Phil Baroni got off to a good start at UFC 125, rocking Brad Tavares with a left hook.

However, a knee to the groin allowed Tavares time to recover.

Shortly after the break, Tavares landed a head kick that led to a technical knockout.

With two straight losses and a career UFC record of 3-7, it appears likely that Baroni's time with the promotion could be over.

In a post-fight interview, Baroni acknowledged that possibility and said that he wouldn't be surprised if the decision was made for him to be released.

Dustin Poirier Could Be the Top Contender for the Featherweight Title

Dustin Poirier had been fighting at lightweight in the WEC and was nowhere near title contention.

Poirier's opponent at UFC 125, Josh Grispi, had been scheduled to fight for the UFC featherweight championship. Then, an injury forced champion Jose Aldo out of that fight.

Poirier agreed to step in to fight Grispi, then he proceeded to dominate the would-be top contender.

No comment has been made by the UFC concerning Aldo's next opponent, but Poirier now seems like one of the most likely candidates.

Marcus Davis Made the Right Decision to Drop to Lightweight

Marcus Davis was knocked out at UFC 125, but he was performing extremely well prior to the knockout. Davis possibly could have played it safe in the third round and come away with a victory. Instead, he got into an exchange with an opponent who was clearly swinging for the fences.

Some who disagree with Davis' decision to drop to lightweight will also probably note his appearance. Davis did look fairly skinny at the weigh-ins, but his endurance and power did not seem to be affected during the fight.  

Clay Guida Is a Legitimate Contender

After defeating Takanori Gomi, Clay Guida now has three consecutive wins by submission.

It appears that Guida has evolved as a fighter as of late. Rather than just wildly unleashing his energy, he has been using it as part of his game plan.

Now, Guida will likely get a shot against another contender, with the winner being fairly close to fighting for the title.

Takanori Gomi Will Be Nothing More Than a Gatekeeper in the UFC

With a win over Clay Guida, Takanori Gomi could have put himself in about the same position within the lightweight division that he had been in when he joined the UFC.

Considering the loss and the growing depth of talent at lightweight, it is hard to imagine Gomi ever contending for the lightweight title now.

The UFC will now have to decide if they want to keep Gomi around as a gatekeeper or part ways by feeding him to one of the top lightweights.

Nate Diaz Needs to Return to Lightweight

Even at lightweight, Nate Diaz has had trouble with wrestlers that have good submission defense. That was also on display at welterweight against Dong Hyun Kim.

Diaz's last fight at lightweight was a close decision loss to Gray Maynard. After seeing how close Maynard came to becoming champion, that has to weigh in to Diaz's decision to return to lightweight.

Right now, Diaz would probably be higher up the ladder at lightweight, despite fighting his last three fights out of that weight division.

Thiago Silva Is the Most Underrated Light Heavyweight in the UFC

Silva may never get a chance to fight for the UFC light heavyweight championship, but his complete domination of Brandon Vera showed why he will always be a tough fight for anyone at 205 pounds.

Silva's only losses have come against former champions Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida. Silva now claims to be fully recovered from an injury that he had suffered before his fight with Evans. It will be interesting to see how a healthy Silva performs against the top light heavyweights now.

Never Doubt Brian Stann

Heading into his fight with Chris Leben, very few gave Brian Stann much of a chance of winning.

Stann proceeded to finish a fighter who many consider to have one of the best chins in MMA.

Believe it or not, Stann is a true middleweight contender now.

Gray Maynard Is Exciting

Say what you will about Gray Maynard's long streak of decisions in the UFC. There is no reason decisions can't be exciting.

For 25 minutes, Maynard and Frankie Edgar put on quite a show at UFC 125.

Anyone who doesn't appreciate Maynard for the fighter that he is now should seriously consider finding a different sport to follow.

There Will Be a Rematch

As Bruce Buffer read the decision of a draw, the first thought on many people's minds was whether or not there would be a rematch.

Rematches have been overused quite a bit lately in the UFC, but Dana White got it right this time.

In a draw, you could argue that the challenger is equally deserving to be named champion. The only way to determine which fighter is better is to do the fight over again.

We'll just have to hope the outcome isn't the same next time.

Never Take Anything Dana White Says As a Finality

At the post-fight press conference, it was announced that Dana White had named WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis as the next opponent for Frankie Edgar. Before the fight, Pettis had been promised a title shot against the winner of Edgar and Gray Maynard.

Later that night, it was revealed that White had changed his mind, and Maynard would be receiving a rematch against Edgar.

Recently, the winner of Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves had been promised a title shot at welterweight. After the fight, White had a change of heart. Fitch is now scheduled to fight B.J. Penn.

You have to feel for Pettis and Fitch, but the moral is to never take anything White says as final.