Boldar - Last I checked "takedown defense" and defense in general was not part of the judging criteria. Simple as that.
You should check again, since you're wrong.
"J. Octagon Control 1. The fighter who is dictating the pace, place and position of the fight. 2. A striker who fends off a grappler's takedown attempt to remain standing and effectively strike is octagon control. 3. A grappler who can takedown an effective standing striker to ground fight is octagon control. 4. The fighter on the ground who creates submission, mount or clean striking opportunities"
but just because vera didnt get taken down means he was showing "octagon control."
"2. A striker who fends off a grappler's takedown attempt to remain standing and effectively strike is octagon control."
So at best octagon control was a was, and Vera wins effective striking and grappling....
Huh?
Are you actually arguing that Vera was the one with octagon control when he was pressed up against the fence?
shmuckothemighty - the same reason you don't score points for slipping a jab.
Or you don't score points for a tackle.
Or you don't score points for stopping a goal.
Etc...etc...etc...
except that in the Shogun fight, as the OP points out, that's how Machida got the points to win.
Which is stupid and cecil peoples should be banned for life from MMA.
I have stated elsewhere that the Miachida fight was an issue of boxing bias by the judges, Machida would press forward and land a stinging jab, Shogun would block cover and return fire with a harder leg kick. because the judges value a punch over a leg kick and Machida initiating the attack over Shogun countering.
It has been mentioned. People just seem to accept that the judges will score a round however the fuck they feel like scoring it regardless of who actually won the round. It's getting to be as bad as boxing. They need to do something about it, NOW. I do not want mma to end up like boxing. But nothing will happen and people will just accept it, just like boxing fans do.