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The eye poke issue took center stage on Saturday at UFC 159, what do you think could and should be done to reduce the prominence of eye poking in the sport?
RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
This is easy. If a fight is stopped due to eyepokes at the advice of a cageside physician, it is a DQ loss for the poker. If that's too stringent, then instead of going straight to the cards, do so with a two-point deduction. You don't need to change the gloves, you need to change the current mentality that it's a good strategy to poke someone in the eyes.
C.J. TUTTLE, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
While I do think majority of these instances are accidents, I would like to see fighters try to avoid this issue at all costs. Both parties have so much to lose. No one wants to win via eye poke, and no one wants to lose via eye injury. Joe Rogan continues to bring attention to the gloves but I think a ruling by the commission on stylistic changes involving less pawing at opponents and point deductions for accidental pokes will invoke change.
FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Anytime a fighter points his fingers at another fighter, a warning should be issued. It doesn't matter if contact is made, you get a warning. If you do it again, you lose a point. That should help limit these pokes some. There's no reason for a fighter to be standing there with his hand open and fingers pointing towards an opponent.
BRAD WALKER, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
How about instead of letting Joe Rogan go on a 10 minute tangent about the gloves, we start fining these morons throwing open hands at an opponent's face? I was sitting watching this card with two guys who are both professional MMA fighters who think the technique is despicable. What are you doing with an open hand moving towards another fighters face in a fight? Are you going to caress his cheek? Do you need to brush his hair back off of his ear? Hell no, you're trying to push his head back or poke his eyeball out. Let's start handing out fines to Phil Davis, Michael Bisping, Josh Koscheck, and every other fighter who finger bangs his opponents eye socket. It's ridiculous that someone hasn't already implemented this stuff. Nobody throws an open handed jab! Close your fists already, and leave the gloves alone.
TONY BECERRA, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Marc Ratner came out earlier this week talking about changes to the Unified Rules when it comes to eye pokes saying "what we want the referees to do is don't make a medical decision" and I like the direction he is taking; but the reality is that in the moment anything can happen as we saw on Saturday night. What could reduce the prominence? Stop doing it.
ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
This is the most immediate danger to fighter safety in the UFC today. I think that the gloves obviously need to be redesigned. How? I have no idea, but it needs to be addressed quickly. The new glove needs to prevent the fingers from being inserted into the opponents eyes while still giving ability to grab on will enough to take someone down. I have a feeling if a better idea was out there it would already have been implemented.
ANWAR PEREZ, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
Joe Rogan always brings up the open finger gloves up anytime there is an eye poke and it's hard to argue with him. He's right in that something needs to be done with the gloves and how the fingers sit in them. It'll take some company to come up with a design that'll work in the MMA setting, as it'll continue to happen until the gloves change.
DAN MOORE, MMATORCH UK COLUMNIST
It's a shame it has taken an event like UFC 159 to demand a change - because this problem should have been addressed ages ago. In no way, shape, or form should any referee be allowed to stop a fight in the way Kevin Mulhall did last weekend. It's inevitable that certain eye pokes are going to restrict a fighter's vision literally seconds after it happened. That outcome was plain stupid - even if he was going by the rules.
Eye pokes should be treated like a groin shot with the affected fighter given five minutes to continue. Within that timeframe, the appointed doctor - and only the doctor - should be allowed to treat the fighter and ultimately stop the fight if required. Much like a groin shot, it's very rare that the fighter will need the allotted five minutes to recover or a doctor to say he can't continue.
During any eye poke stoppage, every arena has multiple viewing screens to replay controversial incidents. This will allow the referee to view it (several times if necessary) and make a judgement on whether it was intentional or not. Only then should they make a call as to whether to dock the offender a point (or even two). Like it is now, if the fight then gets stopped, we would go direct to a judges decision (with docked point(s) factored in).
It would be ridiculous to disqualify a fighter, unless the evidence shows it is, without doubt, a dangerous intentional poke. If every eye poke led to a DQ, you'll possibly end up with fighters who know they're losing, then making the most of any eye poke to save themselves. Michael Bisping dominated Alan Belcher throughout their fight. To then DQ him for something that was unintentional would have been crazy.
The current rules need to be altered and updated but it really doesn't require anything drastic. Basic common sense is the name of the game and with a few minor alterations, this issue could be non-existent in no time. Point deductions often cause fighter's to lose and that inevitably leads to reduced income. Only then will fighters make the necessary changes needed to reduce the risk.
Another good tip which might help eradicate this epidemic, and one Alan Belcher should take note of, keep your guard up every once in a while and someone might not be able to poke you in the eye!
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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