New York Athletic Commission Allows Instant Replay for UFC 217

Back at UFC 210 in New York, Gegard Mousasi stopped Chris Weidman with a vicious knee and won the fight. Of course, some didn’t see it that way. Internet fans, media and even officials disagreed on if Mousasi’s controversial strike was legal or not. What complicated matters, was that instant replay was not legal to better determine what actually went down so referee Herb Dean was only able to go on what he saw initially. This new policy by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) looks to change that, by allowing for instant replay for MMA.

“This policy sets forth a process for the use of instant replay at ringside, adding clarity, transparency and predictability. Providing clarity to the MMA community through adoption of a written process was the right thing to do, and we are glad to have the policy on the books.” – An NYSAC spokesperson speaking to Newsday.

Both @mousasi_mma and @ChrisWeidmanUFC spoke after the controversy at #UFC210 pic.twitter.com/3eWPwJ2Vuo

— UFC (@ufc) April 9, 2017

“Under NYSAC policy now, the in-ring referee is permitted to view the sequence that ended a fight to determine the correct outcome. Such a review only can occur in the time between the fight being stopped and the final decision being announced. The in-ring referee may consult with the alternate referee, but authorization to make the final call rests solely with the in-ring referee.” – Via Newsday.

This is a no-brainer that should have been done as soon as MMA was made legal in New York, but unfortunately it won’t solve all the issues just by offering playback. Does the tip of the fighter’s fingers count, or does the limb touching the canvas have to be load bearing? Does it have to be all fours, or is a tripod of feet and a hand considered grounded? Does this city and state recognize the new MMA rules, or are they using the old system? These are some of the same questions that floated around during Mousasi’s knee and will still be problems no matter how many time footage is viewed.

NYSAC Instant Replay Policy for MMA:

1. When adequate technology is available, instant replay may be used by the in-ring referee to examine the fight ending sequence to determine the correct outcome of a bout
2. Instant replay may be used after the fight has officially concluded and before the final official outcome of the fight is announced in the ring.
3. Only the in-ring referee is authorized to initiate instant replay review.
4. The in-ring referee him/herself must watch the instant replay footage of the fight ending sequence on a video monitor provided for such purpose.
5. The in-ring referee may consult with the alternate referee to determine the correct outcome of a bout.
6. Only the in-ring referee is authorized to make the final official in-ring determination of the outcome of the bout following the instant replay review.
7. The fight cannot be resumed after the instant replay review.
8. Nothing in this policy shall restrict the Commission’s authority to review video evidence to determine the correct outcome after the final official outcome of a bout has been announced in the ring.

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 10/27/2017.