The California State Athletic Commission has updated rules for traveling judges amid the controversy surrounding Doug Crosby.
Doug Crosby has come under fire from fans, fighters, and the Mohegan Athletic Department after the heavily criticized combat sports judge delivered two questionable scorecards on back-to-back nights. As one of the judges presiding over the Bellator 289 main event, Crosby handed in a scorecard that favored Danny Sabatello 50-45 while the other two judges saw it 48-47 for his opponent, Raufeon Stots.
Following the Bellator event which took place in Connecticut, Doug Crosby traveled across the country to work at UFC 282 the very next night in Las Vegas. It was there that Crosby delivered his second controversial scorecard in 24 hours, favoring Paddy Pimblett 29-28 over Jared Gordon in the evening’s co-main event.
CSAC Issues Memorandum in Response to Doug Crosby Controversy
As a result, the CSAC issued a memorandum disallowing judges from traveling across the country to work events on back-to-back days. Written by CSAC Executive Officer Andy Foster, the memorandum states:
“While the Commission understands that, as Officials you may also work in other states. It is imperative that you be at your best for those assignments and keep in mind the travel distance between locations when accepting consecutive assignments. If you work in California on a Friday, the Commission finds it acceptable for you to work as far as Nevada on Saturday or vice versa. If you accept an out-of-state assignment that is within one day of an assignment in California, you may be removed from the California assignment if you are being required to travel further than the state of Nevada.”
Mohegan Athletic Department Director of Athletics Mike Mazzulli revealed that their commission had scheduled a formal review of the Bellator 289 main event with all three judges expected to be present.
“This is a very serious situation,” Mazzulli stated. “The Mohegan Tribe Athletic Department always looks out for the best interests of all fighters. In the past, the Mohegan Tribe Athletic Department has sanctioned officials that are not performing to the level that is required. Such sanctions, when they occur, are not made public” (h/t MMA Fighting).
