MMA JUDGE DOUG CROSBY UNDER INVESTIGATION – AND IT ISN’T THE FIRST TIME

Timothy James

March 18, 2023

The Mohegan Athletic Department is looking into Doug Crosby after controversial scoring at Bellator 289 and UFC 282 this weekend – adding to his sordid history of questionable MMA judging.

MMA judge Doug Crosby has come under fire after what some people have dubbed the “worst weekend in MMA judging history.” The controversial judge is now being investigated by the Mohegan Athletic Department after Crosby scored the main event of Bellator 289 50-45 for Danny Sabatello – while the other 2 judges had it 48-47 for Raufeon Stots.

“One judge had Sabatello winning all five rounds, which is controversial,” said Director of Athletics Michael Mazzulli in a statement released by the Mohegan Athletic Department. “Stots won the decision, which is the correct result. In an effort to make this a learning moment, I have informed all three judges we will be reviewing the fight together.”

After scoring the fight 50-45 for Sabatello at Bellator 289 in Uncasville, Connecticut, Crosby flew into Las Vegas, Nevada to judge for UFC 282. The judges were only needed for two fights that night – the co-main and main events. Both ended in controversial decisions.

The MMA world is not happy with Crosby – who has been in hot water before. Just look at these reactions from Twitter…

The most interesting reaction came from Al Iaquinta – who was intimately affected by a controversial decision judged by Crosby back in 2015. At UFC Fight Night 63, Iaquinta won a split decision against Jorge Masvidal with two 29-28 scorecards. The only judge who scored it for Masvidal? You guessed it. Crosby gave Jorge the fight, 30-27.

After that fight, Crosby was investigated for a potential conflict of interest when it was revealed that he had a longtime feud with Ray Longo – one of Iaquinta’s coaches. In the aftermath, Al Iaquinta stated during an interview with MMA Fighting that “it’s been documented, Doug Crosby has a long-going feud … he hates on us, most particularly Ray Longo.”

As of now, the Nevada Athletic Commission – which oversaw UFC 282 – is not investigating Crosby. In the co-main event of UFC 282, Crosby scored the first two rounds for Paddy Pimblett – drawing the ire of the MMA world. For what it’s worth, Ron McCarthy – son of former MMA ref “Big” John McCarthy – turned in an identical card.

It’s gotten to a point where Ali Abdelaziz, one of the most prominent managers in MMA, says he’s going to ask every commission to prevent Doug Crosby from being one of their judges.

Judging has always been a source of contention in the fight game. It’s a complicated issue to solve – but the first step in the process is getting rid of bad judges.