It doesn't matter if it's "accidental", it's a hugely debilitating foul, and fighters are going to keep doing it unless they face a legit consequence. Watch eye poking drop drastically as refs penalize every time it happens
Agreed
It's not accidental when a guy intentionally opens his hand to push off his opponents forehead and misses. There is no reason whatsoever to make contact with your opponents head with and open hand. Keep your damn fists closed.
If refs started taking a point every single time, guys would stop trying to do that push off move.
Ref has to see it on replay video to make sure, though. But, yeah I agree.
Agreed, instant replay should be employed for this and other major fouls.
It's just remarkable that fighters are blatantly eye-poking and groin kicking/kneeing without any punishment. Really there's no incentive not too. Imagine pro basketball or football games in which major penalties are committed but players are only repeatedly suggested not to do it again. That's exactly what's happening in MMA, and we are all witnesses to it.
the point deduction was the best part of the night, glad to see Dolloway lose
it needs to be an immediate 1 point deduction each time. see JBJ close his hands once in a while
If they can do that consistently, MMA will be in a much better place.
Tinfoil hat time: I've been saying for years that scoring an eye poke wins you a fight. It would almost be crazy not to stretch your fingers out and hope to score one.
I saw the main card first and that was the last prelim fight I just watched.
MAJOR props to that referee and I hope it sets a precedent. Closed fists when striking gentlemen.
Best up and down card I've seen in many many years.
TTT, VTFU OP.
*Or ladies. The Eye with the Bad Boy eyes on her shorts won too over Kaufman.
Every single fight on the card tonight was awesome!
That makes me happy all the way down to my pee pee, for real.
I could see taking a point away for even the 1st one because it caused damage. Normally tho, refs won't take a point on the 1st offense. I want Refs to start warning these guys more when they paw out their hands without closing their fists at all.
I was literally saying this same thing to my friend during the fights, so agreed 
WTF... warnings are established at the pre-fight meetings, let alone the fact that EVERYONE already knows it's against the rules.
I'm not saying that coaches explicitly teach their fighters to eye-poke but clearly there a certain fighters who have issues with it. Either their coaches aren't teaching them not to, or fighters are still doing it despite instruction not to.
The attitude of "Just win, baby" has devolved into casual eye-poking, with commissions and refs are hardly doing anything about it. The key point is that we aren't taking about short grabbing, we're talking about impaling an opponent's eyeball, something which results in serious, possibly permanent, injury. The only way to fix this problem is a swift point deduction the first moment it happens in the fight.
Absofinglutely... Pawing forward fingers out needs to stop and refs need to get on this
Prible would be that this would be adding mma's version of nba's "flopping" . 
Festus -Prible would be that this would be adding mma's version of nba's "flopping" .
Trust me I'm not a fan of 'flopping' in any sport; that said, thankfully, eye-pokes are cut and dry. Either a fighter sticks his finger into the eye of his opponent or he doesn't, and as noted above, this can be confirmed via instant replay. Should a fighter fake being poked just to take a break then doing so can be deemed timidity, i.e. a foul, and a point can deducted for doing that.
This also speaks to part of the problem with scoring these days. Far too many make-or-break moments that are laced with illegal conduct (eye-pokes, nut-shots, fence-grabbing, etc) are ignored by refs and thus ignored by judges. Should fouls actually be treated as fouls then rounds will be scored more accurately, and in turn, fighters will be treated more fairly.
It is the only thing that will stop it so I agree.
mittens
eye pokes are the MOST dangerous thing you could do and you do not get 5 mins rest. at least with a nutshot you got 5 mins, you got a cup, and you most likely will be able to continue fighting.
if guys had to be more careful with closing the hands they would. believe that.
Brian Rule - WTF... warnings are established at the pre-fight meetings, let alone the fact that EVERYONE already knows it's against the rules.
I'm not saying that coaches explicitly teach their fighters to eye-poke but clearly there a certain fighters who have issues with it. Either their coaches aren't teaching them not to, or fighters are still doing it despite instruction not to.
The attitude of "Just win, baby" has devolved into casual eye-poking, with commissions and refs are hardly doing anything about it. The key point is that we aren't taking about short grabbing, we're talking about impaling an opponent's eyeball, something which results in serious, possibly permanent, injury. The only way to fix this problem is a swift point deduction the first moment it happens in the fight.
It's simply a reactive unintentional thing that occurs in this Sport. I don't think you're being very realistic when you suggest taking a point away every time it occurs. It's not going to happen.
Agreed 100% - one warning and then take a point away (after confirmation by instant replay). It's the easiest, most practical solution and likely to be effective.
I mean it would be one thing if the fighter doing the eye-poking was forced to do non-stop burpees while the victim takes time to recover but that doesn't happen – he actually gets a rest while the other suffers from his foul, and then nothing at all happens to him for committing the foul in the first place.
Someone please explain how this current system makes sense?