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According to Jorge Masvidal, financial penalties could significantly reduce the number of illegal strikes in MMA. Year after year, eye pokes continue to be a source of controversy in the UFC, and Jorge Masvidal believes he has found a solution to the problem.
The inaugural BMF champion has a harsh proposal for fighters who recklessly poke their opponents in the eye. He insists not only on an immediate point deduction but also a penalty amounting to 20% of their fight purse.
“Implement the Japanese style,” Masvidal stated on the Deep Waters podcast. “Give them a yellow card immediately. Fines and point deductions. I’ve been poked in the eye twice during a fight, and one of those instances caused me problems for about three weeks. That son of a gun Colby Covington dug his nails into my eye, and then, about three weeks later, I was still seeing spots, it was bad, and my eye was swollen. I had to go to the doctor to get it checked. I had to use medication, eye antibiotics, it was terrible. The same thing happened with Lorenz Larkin, and it was very, very bad. Both eye pokes were terribly severe.”
“I’ve never poked anyone in the eye in my entire career. I have 52 or 53 fights, so that’s something that’s within our control. I know that during a fight, accidents can happen, and you can get poked accidentally, but in many cases, as referees, we can judge when it’s intentional or when that person is just messing around, you know, a bit like Jon Jones – every time you get close, I’ll give you an ‘eye check.’ I just back off with open hands. Immediate point deduction, yellow card. Take money from their purse too. Take 20 percent.”
Deep Waters host Dustin Poirier added that there are varying degrees of eye pokes and agreed that particularly egregious fouls should be penalized immediately, rather than after multiple warnings. For Masvidal, hitting a fighter’s wallet for the infraction makes the most sense. At least, that’s what would make him change his behavior.
“Hit them where it hurts, because I’m a fighter, and if you immediately mention something about my pay, I’ll think, ‘Oh, you’re saying if I’m late, you’ll deduct money from me?’ I’ll never be late again,” Masvidal said. “But if you don’t say it, I’ll show up whenever I want, you know? The money should go to the other fighter. Not to some commission. I’m tired of these commissions taking the money; everything should go to the person who got poked in the eye. Everyone is robbing us, man.”
Masvidal acknowledged that other fouls also need attention but emphasized that eye pokes are the most dangerous and typically have the greatest impact on the outcome of a fight. He isn’t rigidly set on the 20 percent figure but believes that if promoters and commissions want to see a change, they know where to focus their efforts.
“Maybe five percent for the first offense, five percent,” Masvidal said. “I’m telling you, nobody will poke eyes anymore. That’s how it should be; don’t poke people in the eyes.”
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