Scott Fontana And Dan Urban Podcasts

So ... Texas happened. That's right, another UFC card in the Lone Star state produced a scorecard that left even the most rationale criteria nerds scratching their heads. And few are bigger criteria nerds than Scott and Dan. They break down the 48-47 for Marlon Vera, Maycee Barber's split decision victory, and a pair of surprising 10-8/10-9 splits.…

Woah, Nellie, do we have a lot to talk about this week. Nearly half of the scored rounds splits from the UK's first pay-per-view in the post-pandemic era. Good thing Scott and Dan are up to the challenge of talking all 15 rounds from UFC 286, including a combined six from the final two fights. Strap on in, and we'll talk you through the scores for …

Judging was sharp across both Bellator and UFC cards over the weekend, but through sheer volume they still left Scott and Dan with seven rounds to break down. (Yep, just seven.) A few split decisions, a pair of 10-9/10-8 splits, and a pivotal point deduction are all on tap this week. Linktr.ee/couchsidejudges…

Huge card, huge fights, huge results. Judging? Not a huge problem at all despite a split decision and a foul-ridden majority decision. Scott and Dan dive into why those disparate scorecards are really nothing to worry about. Linktr.ee/couchsidejudgesBy Scott Fontana and Dan Urban

A busy weekend — especially if you were a judge at Bellator — left Scott and Dan with plenty of rounds to discuss. Dive in this week as the CSJ examine some split decisions and 10-8/10-9 splits. linktr.ee/couchsidejudgesBy Scott Fontana and Dan Urban

More like UFC North Jersey, amirite? That's how Scott and Dan saw it coming into the weekend. And with Erin Blanchfield scoring a monster win and Jim Miller on the wrong side of a decision the CSJ saw the other way, the Taylor Ham Country dominates this episode. While Dan concedes he can't be unbiased when it comes to Miller, even Scott had to watc…

Dan can't get enough of Makhachev vs. Volkanovski, so the CSJ have plenty to say about the scoring of a close champion vs. champion battle. Scott also enlisted the help of an actual judge (whom shall remain anonymous) to give thoughts on a decision which left some — including Dan, at first — scratching their heads. linktr.ee/couchsidejudges…

Fedor's farewell took up a lot of the oxygen in a two-event battle between Bellator and UFC, but nothing got Dan more emotional than the frustration of super-late UFC fights between sub-standard UFC fighters. Predictably, it was those fights which produced half of the Contested Rounds of this show. Come for the judging talk, stay for Dan's rage. li…

The UFC ventures Down Under in February for the first time since 2019, meaning The Couchside Judges haven't had many opportunities to bring up the local cageside officials. Scott touched upon some data regarding officials from that region of the globe. But numbers can't tell the whole story, so he and Dan do their due diligence by watching a ton of…

The Couchside Judges give a warm welcome to Aaron Bronsteter, their fellow graduate of the 2022 ABC Conference's MMA judging training course (and the refereeing course, too) who joins in on all the Contested Rounds conversation. And with very little disagreement among the judges in Brazil, the bulk of the post-UFC 283 edition focuses on 10-8s vs. 1…

UFC live events are back, which means Scott and Dan dive back into Contested Rounds. Blessedly, one event is in the books without major judging uproar despite the occurrence the quirkiest of split decisions — the kind Scott has dubbed "alternative decisions." CSJ dives into that and more, so give it a listen. linktr.ee/couchsidejudges…

The 10-7 round is MMA's giant squid; it exists, but good luck ever spotting one live. To the knowledge of Scott and Dan, no unanimous 10-7 rounds have ever happened, and they're hyper rare to even have one judge pull a 7. But, at least in the UFC since the scoring criteria was modified in 2016, there have been 5 known 10-7s. The CSJ examine those r…

Another year in MMA is in the books, and Scott's got a whole mess of data to share with Dan and the CSJ faithful. Want to know how often 10-8 rounds are being scored these days? Curious how often the most frequently-assigned judges see eye-to-eye? Aiming to know the year's winner of the most Couchside Overrides (insert obnoxious horn noise) ... or,…

They're back! Scott and Dan deliver the 2022 edition of the Judgies, the only awards in MMA which recognize the top judge from a calendar year. Of course, there's more hardware to send out in the mail than just that, so check out what else and who else in the MMA world the CSJ recognized for the past year. Plus, Doug Crosby isn't going down quietly…

A week after the peak of 2022 MMA judging outrage, Scott and Dan are tasked with breaking down every, single, round of the final UFC fight of the year, a five-round split decision with dueling 49-46 cards. But, in a Christmas miracle, the collective MMA world seems to ... understand how that could happen. The CSJ are no different, and yet the hosts…

Ho, boy. What a show we've got this time. Paddy Pimblett vs. Jared Gordon. Jan Blachowicz vs. Magomed Ankalaev. Raufeon Stots vs. Danny Sabatello. All three had the MMA community and fans riled up for one reason or another. Leave it to the Couchside Judges to break everything down after the most wild fight weekend in the show's history. linktr.ee/c…

Another strong night of judging as the UFC ventured to Orlando for an action-packed main card. Scott and Dan dissect a pair of 10-8/9 splits and a split decision, as well as a weird stoppage reversal in the entertaining main event between willing strikers. linktr.ee/couchsidejudgesBy Scott Fontana and Dan Urban

PFL wrapped its 2022 season with a bang, and Dan was in-house in Manhattan to soak it in. Oh, and he's a self-described genius too (he'll explain). Meanwhile, Scott was home sick during the holiday, and yet both hosts made time to go over the few Contested Rounds from the championship event. That includes a split decision between Aspen Ladd and Jul…

Bellator was the much better attraction than UFC over the weekend, and it also featured a round that had Scott and Dan staunchly on opposite ends of the fence. But there's plenty of time to handle Contested Rounds from each event, so stick around as the CSJ discuss all nine. linktr.ee/couchsidejudges…

Was UFC 281 the event of the year? One of your hosts thinks so. Probably helped that so few of the rounds were contested, thanks to a whopping seven first-round finishes. But an unusual set of circumstances in one of the prelims led to the scoresheet being updated in the octagon, and, well, that's something the CSJ will have to dive into, won't we?…

A combination of sharp judges and early finishes aplenty at the Apex meant Scott and Dan have a light load of Contested Rounds to break down. But there's still plenty to talk about — as usual — including a little judging theory on a round all three judges saw the same way. linktr.ee/couchsidejudgesBy Scott Fontana and Dan Urban

Scott and Dan weathered a weekend of unfortunate events to bring you a delayed edition of CSJ. After some thoughts on MMA vs. boxing judging, the guys dive in on eight Contested Rounds from UFC Apex, including a pair from the rare case of an Alternative Decision that had social media burning up Saturday night. linktr.ee/couchsidejudges…

With two title fights ending in the second round, neither of the biggest fights from UFC 280 required Scott and Dan to weigh in on any Contested Rounds. But that high-profile bantamweight clash between Petr Yan and Sean O'Malley? That's another matter. The CSJ examine the pivotal first round to see if all the furor of over the split decision was wa…

Back at the Apex after a week without major MMA, Scott and Dan return to the typical CSJ format focused on Contested Rounds, like the unexpected pair in a unanimous 29-28 and a split decision between bantamweights. linktr.ee/couchsidejudgesBy Scott Fontana and Dan Urban

Scott and Dan bring you all a little bit of everything after a week with no major MMA events. We've got some interesting data on the frequency of 10-8 rounds, a Contested Round from an event last month in Europe that's pretty damn fascinating, some Past Judgment with an old Brock Lesnar fight, and a lookahead to the upcoming UFC Fight Night. Enjoy!…

Dan and Scott carried a heavy load this week, going over (almost) every Contested Round from both UFC and Bellator on Saturday. Settle in, sign out of your Facebook and check out a stuffed edition of CSJ. linktr.ee/couchsidejudgesBy Scott Fontana and Dan Urban

Against all odds, Dan suggests CSJ puts its full focus on Bellator 285 during a rare non-UFC weekend. Scott happily obliges ... and then Bellator offers precious little in the way of Contested Rounds — four overall. The hosts tackle them dutifully before mixing in a rare treat: an edition of Past Judgment, looking back at one of the weirder fights …

Plenty of blood and cuts at the latest UFC Apex event. Scott and Dan discuss the grotesque gushers before shifting to more typical conversation about Contested Rounds, including a pair that the CSJ didn't think were the best of scores. Plus, have the hosts finally found a round that brings them to blows? Gotta listen to find out. linktr.ee/couchsid…

Dan bids Nate Diaz adieu — for now — as he exits the UFC on a win, one in which two rounds were split. Scott and Dan dive into those, the whole damn Daniel Rodriguez vs. Li Jingliang fight, and a handful more from UFC 279 in our day-delayed edition. Linktr.ee/couchsidejudgesBy Scott Fontana and Dan Urban

Holy 10-10 round, Batman! One of MMA scoring's white whales was sighted in the City of Lights over the weekend, and Scott and Dan have no choice but to explain why it should never have reared its head in what was otherwise a pretty solidly judged UFC debut in France. linktr.ee/couchsidejudgesBy Scott Fontana and Dan Urban

A no-UFC weekend means a break from Contested Rounds to go along with the return of Past Judgment, the segment in which Scott and Dan revisit old fights and rescore them using their more liberal 10-8 and 10-7 definitions. This week's fight revisits the one-sided victory the great GSP scored against Dan Hardy in New Jersey 12 years ago — which also …

Leon Edwards' stunning head-kick KO to take the welterweight belt still has the CSJ processing it, and that includes multi-talented guest judge Dan Tom. With their bearings gathered, the trio look to contextualize where the moment ranks in the annals of the sport. Plus, five Contested Rounds to dissect from a solidly-judged UFC pay-per-view-card in…

Chito knocks out another lighter weight legend in the second straight uber-entertaining UFC Fight Night. With two split decisions, a majority decision and a majority draw, Scott and Dan have some solid Contested Rounds material. Listen to the CSJ weigh in after a very busy weekend for major-level MMA Linktr.ee/couchsidejudges…

The Couchside Judges has hit 200 episodes! Break out the cake and celebrate while listening to the criteria nerds break down the very few — but quite interesting — split rounds from Saturday, when all 10 UFC bouts ended inside the distance. linktr.ee/couchsidejudgesBy Scott Fontana and Dan Urban

With the UFC in Texas, you had to know the CSJ would have plenty of fodder for the latest episode. And who better to join Scott and Dan this week than Jay Pettry of Sherdog, whom had just attended ABC referee and judge training as well. The trio breaks down 10 rounds from Dallas, with more than a few rating as head-scratchers.…

At long last, The Couchside Judges put themselves through the ABC MMA judging and referee training courses. Scott and Dan share their takeaways from this crucial step in their respective officiating education journeys in the meatiest episode of CSJ yet. Plus, Scott shares the happenings fun the conference itself, including the approval of two new M…

Busy day in London for the judges. Fortunately, the typically agreed with one another on who won the rounds in the UFC's second card in England this year. But with a whopping four 10-8/9 splits, Scott and Dan had the chance to apply some of their newly-learned lessons from ABC officials training over the weekend.…

After 24 hours by Dan's watch (and one by Scott's) the Couchside Judges returned from a terrific UFC Long Island experience, reminded of how much different it is attempting to judge in person vs. on TV. The boys made sure to watch the five Contested Rounds once again on the TV broadcast as well, and they've got the breakdowns ready for your ears. l…

So many rounds; just enough time. Scott and Dan have their work cut out for them with 11 Contested Rounds from UFC Vegas 58. That includes a pair of split decisions (Michael Johnson vs. Jamie Mullarkey and Antonina Shevchenko vs. Cortney Casey), one of which drove certain people bonkers on social media. Let the Couchside Judges explain why the deci…

E. Spencer Kyte once again joins as a guest judge on CSJ as the guys break down UFC 276, which lacked any real judging uproar over split decisions and the like. But there was enough chatter about the way Pedro Munhoz vs. Sean O'Malley's first round was scored that drew our attention. Plus, plenty of storylines to unpack from the event in a non-judg…

Even a 15-for-15 main event, with all judges agreeing on each round, can't keep the masses from debating the scoring. That's where Scott and Dan come in to weigh in. Beyond that, the CSJ put a prelim-opener split decision, a heavyweight fight and a dominant victory by a Nurmagomedov through Contested Rounds.…

Texas, Texas, Texas. You just know some scorecard shenanigans are coming when the fights head to the Lone Star State. UFC Austin was no different, with a few rounds that left Scott and Dan scratching their heads more than usual. And as a bonus, CSJ looks at the PFL main event in Georgia after the "R" word (rhymes with snobbery) was bandied about. W…

Here on Couchside Judges, the hosts rarely find "bad scores." They did Saturday, for sure. But was it in the Valentina Shevchenko vs. Taila Santos fight that riled up many a fight fan and pundit? Listen to Scott and Dan to find out. linktr.ee/couchsidejudgesBy Scott Fontana and Dan Urban

The heavyweight headliner gifted a first-round finish coming out of the holiday UFC break. Scott and Dan place their focus for this special Sunday episode on a pair of decisions (one split, one majority) and some 10-8/9 rounds before looking ahead to UFC 275.By Scott Fontana and Dan Urban

A weekend free of major North American MMA gave Scott and Dan the chance dip back into Past Judgment for the first time in months. The Judges chose two fights: One blowout middleweight title fight and a hotly-contested split decision. How lopsided was Rich Franklin's win in the CSJ scoring format? Was Sanchez's win a "robbery"? Listen and watch the…

Why the heck are folks so mad about Ketlen Vieira getting the split decision nod over Holy Holm? No, seriously, why the fuss? Scott and Dan don't know, but they do know a close fight when the see one. The boys break down the deciding third round to explain the scoring of a fight that probably should have been forgotten long before the social media …

A pair of split decisions — one UFC, one Bellator — anchor this week's episode. Scott and Dan examine Katlyn Chookagian's narrow win over Amanda Ribas in Vegas, as well as Logan Storley grinding out a snoozer decision against Michael Page in London — even if Dan can't stand Bellator.By Scott Fontana and Dan Urban

The Couchside Judges hits a day later than usual, but the hosts make up for it with a terrific guest: Matthew Wells of MMA Junkie. No shortage of Contested Rounds for the three gents as UFC 274 featured a whopping 12 instances of judging disagreement. CSJ breaks them all down, including two from the worst championship fight in UFC history: Carla Es…

Reports of a robbery at UFC Apex! Scott and Dan are on the case as social media outcry over the decision in Andrei Arlovski vs. Jake Collier necessitates an investigation. But is it a false alarm. Let the Couchisde Judges detective agency decide.By Scott Fontana and Dan Urban

Whole lot of UFC and Bellator over the weekend, but the judges generally found themselves in agreement. Scott and Dan broke down some Contested Rounds that didn't impact the result of fights, as well as discussed the heavily-debated stoppage in Liz Carmouche vs. Juliana Velasquez from Bellator 278.By Scott Fontana and Dan Urban