Swedish MMA fighter Samuel “Sammon Decer” Bark. Photo by OKTAGON MMA
European MMA promotion OKTAGON will introduce open scoring for the first time in its final event of 2023. OKTAGON 51 takes place on Friday December 29 in Prague, Czech Republic.
“We will be happy to be the first organization in Europe to do this. We think it’s the right thing. Really, our thinking is, ‘Why not?’ We don’t really understand why it is not open already. We think it will bring more excitement for the fighters and the fans,” OKTAGON MMA co-founder Pavol Neruda recently told MMA Junkie.
Open scoring has been a subject of discussion among fighters, fans and experts over the past few years but no major MMA promotion has yet tried the system.
OKTAGON intends to make the element of open scoring work with the live event and broadcast production for the best possible experience for both the fighters and audience.
“We have prepared special graphics so the crowd will be able to see how the scores are going. And we really believe that it will add a whole new level of excitement for the fans,” Neruda said.
“I’m super excited to see how the fights play out with the fighters knowing where they stand on the scorecards.”