N.J. Commissioner Nick Lembo on Judging, Takedowns, More
Tuesday, 11 January 2011 18:32
by Dallas Winston
EXCERPTS:
DW: Since I had some strong feelings on the decision, how did you score the Bader vs. Nogueira fight from UFC 119?
NL: As a fan watching on television, I scored round one for Bader 10-9, round two 10-10, and round three 10-9 for Nogueira. It was a close fight in the second and third rounds.
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DW: What are your thoughts on that long-winded theory overall? And your opinion on either keeping all control-based techniques and forced position changes to the control category, or adding guard pulls and escapes back to standing under effective grappling?
NL: Takedowns should be worthy of scoring consideration as they are an offensive maneuver that forces your opponent to a different phase of combat against his or her will. I believe that, in general, a takedown is an example of effective grappling and more than just cage control. A takedown involves an offensive wrestling skill set and is a crucial component of getting to the ground game. A takedown is not typically simple to accomplish.
However, a takedown should be weighed in proper accordance with what follows after the takedown. For example, did the opponent quickly get back to his or her feet? Alternatively, did the takedown lead to further offense such as passing the guard and a submission attempt, or ground-and-pound striking opportunities?
FULL INTERVIEW HERE
