UFC commentator Joe Rogan and friends get together and record a live podcast during some UFC Fight Night events. These sessions are called The Fight Companion. A frequent guest on The Fight Companion is 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu founder Eddie Bravo. From time to time, Bravo is known to say things that may seem out of the box or controversial. However, during the live recording of the podcast for UFC Fight Night 61 on Sunday, February 22nd, he opened up about something that left viewers and listeners wide-eyed. Bravo used to be the guy Rogan and his broadcasting partner Mike Goldberg would turn to between rounds to get a score of the fight. He had found himself playing the role of the UFC’s broadcasting judge and had set up his own system of scoring the fights; a system which many agree made a lot of sense. Rogan wishes Bravo still had the job. “One of the things I think they should have kept going was when you were doing those in between rounds, you would do your assessment of who you think won,” said Rogan. Rogan went on to reveal that it was the State Athletic Commission that put the kibosh on Bravo’s gig with the UFC. “The commission didn’t like it because Eddie would have a rationalization, he would have a voice, he could speak his mind,” said Rogan. UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub, another guest on The Fight Companion, said that he also enjoyed Bravo in that role. “I would much rather have that (scoring system) than these three squares judging my fight,” said Schaub. That’s when Bravo took a left turn. “It’s important to have those schlubs judging the sport,” said Bravo, leaving his friends puzzled. “I think it’s important for the sport, to have those schlubs judging… If you were running the casino, you don’t think it’s a good idea to have fall guys? …The judges to blame? …I’m just saying if I was running the casinos, I would want schlubs in there, so if we looked at the numbers and saw we needed this decision, or that decision…” said Bravo, before going on to make an eye-opening revelation. “I’ve had a judge tell me, a very popular UFC judge, tell me that on three separate occasions, he wrote down a score for one fighter and then when Bruce Buffer read it, it was for the other guy. Three different times! This guy told me to my face,” said Bravo. Rogan was feeling uncomfortable with where the conversation was heading and steered Bravo away, and to conclude the topic, Bravo wrapped it up by backpedaling. “I’m just saying, if I was running the casinos, I would do that… Don’t wanna get killed here, these are just my crazy assumptions,” said Bravo. For anyone who has been a fight fan for years and has seen decisions that have made absolutely zero sense, Bravo’s words are not very hard to believe. Whether true or not, it shines a light on the fact that judging remains a major flaw in the sport, and the eye behind it continues to stay blind.
