Imagine assigning someone who barely speaks Spanish to judge a Spanish-speaking competition. Sounds absurd, right? Yet, that’s exactly the kind of mismatch that’s been happening in MMA for years—only instead of language, it’s knowledge of the sport itself that’s lacking. In MMA, four core elements make up the fight night experience: the fighters, the crowd, the referee, and the judges. Among these, it’s the judges whose role has repeatedly come under fire—and for good reason. After all, their decisions can make or break a fighter’s legacy! Just ask former 205lbs title challenger Dominick Reyes. Many fans and analysts believe he did enough to defeat Jon Jones in their infamous UFC 247 title fight.

But the judges’ scorecards, particularly a highly controversial third round, said otherwise. Had that round gone to Reyes, MMA history might look very different today. Or a more recent example of Raquel Pennington losing her 135lbs strap to Julianna Pena in a highly controversial co-main event bout at UFC 307? Many believe that ‘Rocky’ did enough to retain her championship gold, but the judges did not. And yet, in a sport where one decision can change a career, it’s rare to see judges held accountable for poor or uninformed calls. So, what’s behind these ongoing controversies? According to Joe Rogan, the issue boils down to qualifications, or lack thereof.

During episode #166 of the JRE MMA Show, Rogan raised serious concerns about the competency of some UFC judges while speaking with former featherweight champ Ilia Topuria. “Most of them…” Joe Rogan recalled, “I remember early on in the UFC, one of the judges turned to someone next to them—it was a woman—and she goes, ‘What is he doing?’ Someone was trying to get a kimura, and she didn’t even know what that was. They were boxing judges. So the boxing judges—they started using them for MMA fights, with no martial arts experience at all. Never stepped on the mat, never put in a mouthpiece, never got punched in the face.” Ilia Topuria didn’t hold back either, branding the system as downright “crazy.”

So, who’s to blame? The responsibility lies squarely with the commissions. MMA, once dismissed as little more than “human cockfighting,” has come a long way. As it gained legitimacy and mainstream appeal, oversight became essential. That led to the creation of the Unified Rules of MMA, established through collaboration among various U.S. state athletic commissions and formally adopted by the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) in July 2009. These rules provided a much-needed structure for sanctioning MMA events nationwide.

But structure alone isn’t enough. While the commissions set the rules, they’ve often failed to hold judges accountable. A rare instance of accountability occurred at UFC 305 in Australia, when judge Howard Hughes was pulled mid-event following a highly controversial scorecard in the Tai Tuivasa vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik bout. His removal reignited long-standing demands for reform in the judging process. And few have championed that cause louder than Joe Rogan. His criticism of poor judging extends beyond MMA, frequently calling out similarly flawed decisions in boxing as well.

Joe Rogan sarcastically called out judge Adalaide Byrd

“The judges are crazy guys,” Sean Strickland remarked. “I don’t think they watch fights. I don’t think they know fighting. So, you never know.” Strickland’s frustration echoes a widespread criticism in MMA: many judges come from boxing backgrounds and often score MMA fights through a boxing lens. Techniques like kicks, elbows, and ground control—essential elements in MMA—don’t exist in boxing. Yet, these judges score a completely different sport.

Now, imagine a boxing judge misreading a boxing match. That’s a real disaster! And that’s exactly what happened in one of the sport’s most controversial decisions—Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin I in 2017. The bout ended in a split draw, but all eyes were on judge Adalaide Byrd’s stunning 118-110 scorecard in favor of Alvarez. Her lopsided scoring drew immediate backlash and became the focal point of post-fight outrage.

In response, Bob Bennett, Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, defended Byrd by saying she simply needed “a break.” Despite the controversy, Byrd later returned—this time as a judge at UFC 222 for the bantamweight bout between Cody Stamann and Bryan Caraway. Naturally, questions about her MMA judging credentials resurfaced.

Joe Rogan wasn’t about to let it slide. Reflecting on the infamous scorecard, he joked, “Oh God. She’s driving a Ferrari for that fight. She’s a nice lady, though.” Daniel Cormier tried to keep things civil, adding, “She’s a great lady. The other day I saw her at The Ultimate Fighter… and she’s very nice. Let’s just leave it at that.”

But Rogan, true to form, fired back, “So is my mom. I wouldn’t want her calling any fights.” That got a laugh from Cormier, who playfully called out, “Somebody get Joe Rogan!” Rogan, still in full sarcasm mode, finished with a jab: “My mom would be like, ‘Canelo is handsome. Gotta give him the round.”‘

Now the real question—what’s your take on judging blunders in MMA? Should athletic commissions finally step up and require judges to have real MMA experience or at least a strong grasp of the sport’s fundamentals? Drop your thoughts below.