NSAC head sees no cause for concern with scoring in St-Pierre vs. Hendricks fight at UFC 167

(This story first appeared in Tuesday’s USA TODAY.)

The Nevada State Athletic Commission’s executive director remains confident in the performance of his officials despite another controversial set of scores at UFC 167.

In the headliner of the UFC’s 20th anniversary event, judges Tony Weeks and Sal D’Amato handed down tallies of 48-47 in favor of Georges St-Pierre, who retained his welterweight title over Johny Hendricks. A third judge, Glenn Trowbridge, saw the fight as 48-47 for Hendricks.

The commission immediately faced criticism from fans, fighters and the media, who thought the officials had gotten the call wrong. Among the sternest critics was UFC President Dana White, who said the regulatory body “used to be the best commission in the world,” and said the scores were “100 percent incompetence.”

At the post-event news conference, White called for Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval to intervene and said he is scared to promote future fights Las Vegas, where the promotion is based.

Keith Kizer, who heads the influential athletic commission, said the fiery UFC executive “can say what he wants at the press conference.” He ventured that the uproar boils down to a difference of opinion about who won the fight’s first round, on which judges disagreed, and the weight of White’s comments.

“The last four rounds were scored unanimously,” Kizer told USA Today Sports. “The first could have gone either way, as most people thought it could have gone either way, regardless of how they scored it. It’s more about Dana’s comments than anything else, not about the scoring.”

Despite calls for change among fans and media, the commission head said he’d received but a few inquiries about the fight. However, those still aggrieved at the decision have the opportunity to make suggestions on Nevada regulations at a workshop planned for Dec. 2 at the commission’s headquarters in Las Vegas. Kizer said he couldn’t remember any attendees at a previous workshop.

Former NSAC head Marc Ratner, who now acts as a chief liaison between the UFC and athletic commissions, said a UFC representative will be there, but did not say whether changes will be proposed.

In the wake of September’s boxing controversy over scoring in Floyd Mayweather’s decision win over Canelo Alvarez, C.J. Ross resigned as an NSAC judge after 20-plus years on the job. Kizer defended Ross’ scorecard and said disciplinary action wasn’t necessary, though now-former NSAC commissioner Bill Brady issued an apology to Sandoval.

A fired-up White hinted that the UFC might curtail its event schedule in Nevada, despite the fact that the promotion is based in Las Vegas and the city is known as “the fight capital of the world.”

“I’m scared to come back here and do fights,” he said. “I’m afraid of this state.”

Asked whether such action is cause for concern with the commission, Kizer said, “Not to me.”

For complete coverage of UFC 167, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.