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UFC won't discuss judging changes despite UFC 119

The majority of the Indianapolis crowd felt Evan Dunham had beaten Sean Sherk at UFC 119 © Getty Images

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Marshall Zelaznik has warned the MMA community to get used to controversial judging decisions, claiming the same debates will still be arising in 100 years' time.

UFC 119 sparked debate on two levels on Saturday, firstly due to the judges' decision to name Sean Sherk the winner over Evan Dunham in the lightweight division, and secondly due to yet more fights that saw points-scoring prioritised over a desire to finish the fight.

Not for the first time, UFC president Dana White was left angry by the judges in Indianapolis, stating to ESPN after the event: "Dunham won that fight [against Sherk]. The judges give it to Sherk. People then ask themselves, 'What the f*** was that? It makes people angry. It p***ed me off.

"Our judges are so bad. That's why I tell guys, you better get in there and handle your business yourself."

White is right, he has told his fighters on plenty of occasions to finish the fight before it gets to the judges, yet on Saturday seven of 11 bouts went the distance. Briton's Dan Hardy has been particularly vocal in recent weeks about the dangers of points-scoring fighters damaging the sport, but Zelaznik insists no discussions are taking place behind the scenes to alter the way fights are judged.

"There's no discussion on a personal level, or for business reasons," UFC UK president Zelaznik told ESPN. "These fighters have a very difficult job in there, and it's all on them to decide how to fight in the Octagon.

"We don't discuss about which style is best to watch or anything, there are bonuses in place such as Fight of the Night to encourage fighters. Dana complains about the judging all the time, he's constantly saying don't leave it in the hands of the judges, so there seems to be some work to be done there. So fighters should maybe feel motivated to finish the fight in that sense.

"Sometimes it's not possible to finish the fight, so then you go to the playground of the judges. There are judging problems in Olympics, there are judging problems everywhere. That's never really going to change because you're dealing with people's perceptions. People's opinions are always different. If you watch it on TV you come out with a different perspective to if you watch it in the arena. If you watch it from the arena, you might get a different perspective from the opposite side of the arena.

"The one thing that will change over time is that there will be more experienced judges, who over time have seen more and understand what they're seeing more. It will come with time, but 100 years from now we'll still have disagreements!"

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.