This article is part of our MMA Barometer series.

How can the problem of incompetent judging in mixed martial arts be fixed? Inconsistent judging and bizarre decisions no longer come as a surprise during an MMA fight. The most recent example of a fighter being robbed of a decision is Michael Johnson vs. Beneil Dariush at UFC Fight Night 73. Everybody in the arena believed, at worst, Johnson would walk away with a 29-28 unanimous decision, but then Dariush was awarded a split decision. This isn't the only instance of questionable judging, only the most recent. This is a problem that has plagued the sport for years, but not much has been done to find a solution.

The dominant theory to fix the problem is to have former fighters serve as judges for state athletic commissions. Most judges have never competed in mixed martial arts, and few of them even train. This creates a major problem because they do not understand the intricacies of grappling positions or when a fighter is in danger of being finished on the ground. Furthermore, they do not know how effective certain techniques are because they have never experienced them. For instance, some judges have been known to say that leg kicks are ineffective strikes. This is a completely false statement as some fights have been stopped because of the devastating effects of leg kicks. This is only one example but shows the incompetence of some judges in mixed martial arts. If a former fighter was a judge, he likely would have experienced (in training or in a fight) most of the positions that fighters found themselves in during a fight. It would allow them to accurately assess a fight and give judges a better chance of reaching the correct decision if the fight was not stopped before the final bell. Having former fighters serve as judges is probably the best option to fix the problem of incompetent judging.

Another interesting theory to fix the problem of incompetent judging was brought up by Kenny Florian on UFC Tonight. He suggested that judges should be sequestered in a room at the venue the fight is taking place at instead of being out in the arena. His rationale was judges can be influenced by the crowd, and it is also hard to concentrate and score a fight when in such a high energy environment. Along with being in an environment that makes it easier to concentrate, the judges would be able to watch the fights on video screens with all of the best angles. Currently, they watch the fights through the cage, and, if the fighters are far away or at a bad angle, it is difficult for them to decide whether the strikes thrown were landed and effective. Remember, the judges are supposed to score based on effective striking, not just volume of strikes thrown. This was the problem in the Johnson-Dariush fight, where Dariush threw a lot of knees, but they didn't always land or do much damage. Kenny Florian's theory is an intriguing idea, and it would allow the athletic commissions to keep their current judges.

No matter what happens, something has to be done to change the judging in mixed martial arts. It is unfair to fighters who put their health on the line to compete in a cage, only to lose money and positioning in the sport because of bad decisions. Dana White has a famous saying, "Never leave it in the hands of the judges," but is it really fair for professional fighters to not be able to trust other professionals to accurately assess a fight?

As always, below is your MMA barometer with rising, falling, and check status fighters.

Rising

Amanda Nunes
Brazilian striker Amanda Nunes (No. 3-ranked UFC Women's Bantamweight) has won four out of five fights in the UFC. Each victory has come via first round submission or KO/TKO and her only loss came against a top three fighter in the division, Cat Zingano (No. 2-ranked UFC Women's Bantamweight). Currently, Nunes is on a two-fight winning streak, including a first-round submission of former title challenger Sara McMann (No. 7-ranked UFC Women's Bantamweight). One reason her stock is rising is because of the fighters ranked in the top ten on a winning streak, Nunes is one of the few who has not fought UFC Women's Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. This makes a title fight between Rousey and Nunes a real possibility after Rousey presumably completes the trifecta by beating Miesha Tate (No. 1-ranked UFC Women's Bantamweight) in their third title fight. Nunes would be an interesting matchup because she has never fought Rousey, and her knockout power would give her a puncher's chance in a title fight. Hopefully Nunes is awarded the title fight she deserves after Rousey and Tate complete their trilogy.
Next fight: TBA

Beneil Dariush
Albeit by controversial split decision, Beneil Dariush was able to earn his fifth consecutive victory inside the Octagon last Saturday against Michael Johnson (No. 5-ranked UFC Lightweight). Most people were shocked by the decision, but it nonetheless advances his position in the lightweight division. Dariush has shown a fantastic grappling ability when he has the opportunity to showcase his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, and even though he seemed to get out struck on the feet by Johnson, he has formidable stand up which he hones at Kings MMA under the tutelage of famous instructor Rafael Cordeiro. Dariush has a black belt in Muay Thai under Cordeiro, and in his fight against Johnson he used those skills to throw many knees, which (even if they did not land clean) probably helped sway the judges in his favor. The Iranian-born fighter should look to fight a top-five opponent in his next fight to put himself squarely in the title picture at 155 pounds.
Next Fight: TBA

Check Status

Tim Kennedy
Tim Kennedy (No. 7-ranked UFC Middleweight) has not fought in almost a year. Even with this long layoff, he has only dropped one spot in the UFC Middleweight rankings. Furthermore, the 35-year-old Kennedy has won three out of four fights since joining the UFC in 2013. His only loss came in his last fight against Yoel Romero, but there was an odd sequence of events where Romero refused to get off of his stool at the beginning of the third round after almost getting finished at the end of the second. Romero sat on his stool longer than the traditional minute allowed between rounds, was allowed to continue, and blitzed Kennedy at the beginning of the third round, which ultimately led to a knockout victory for Romero. Amidst the controversy, new Reebok deal, and performance enhancing drug problem in MMA, Kennedy contemplated retirement. After some time off, Kennedy is now ready to return to the Octagon. He has requested a fight with a top opponent in the division, most recently calling out Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva. However, Kennedy may find it hard to get a fight against a top opponent after falling out of the UFC's good graces with recent negative comments regarding the Reebok deal. We can only hope the former Special Forces sniper makes his return to the Octagon in the near future.
Next Fight: TBA

Falling

Bethe Correia
Bethe Correia bit off a little more than she can chew against Ronda Rousey. She talked an incredible amount of trash leading up to her UFC 190 title fight against Rousey, and then suffered the first loss of her career via a devastating knockout loss just 34 seconds into the first round. Correia was 9-0 before losing to Rousey, and she had a good gimmick by attempting to beat all of "The Four Horsewomen" who were fighting in the UFC. This gimmick was successful as she was awarded a title shot after only three fights in the UFC, but this is where reality must set in. Rousey is so dominant and has beaten so many UFC Women's Bantamweight fighters that there are not many intriguing matchups left for her at 135 pounds. This presented a great opportunity for Correia who could beat Rousey's friends and then call out the champion to get a title shot as the No. 9-ranked UFC Women's Bantamweight. Remember, Correia's three victories came against fighters who are not even ranked in the top 15 of the UFC at this time. She did not fight even one top-ten fighter. Correia's trash talking, knockout power, and undefeated record may have made her an overrated fighter, and Rousey helped bring the MMA world back to reality. Correia was exposed as a fighter who was not ready for a title shot, and it will be interesting to see how she performs when she is matched up with a top ten Women's Bantamweight not named Ronda Rousey.
Next Fight: TBA

Neil Magny
Oh how quickly fortunes can turn in mixed martial arts. After his last fight, Magny was on the "rising" portion of this column. Now, after his latest loss to Demian Maia at UFC 190, Magny finds his stock falling. Magny had one seven fights in a row, but his performance against Maia left doubt of how he would perform against the elite of the UFC welterweight division. Magny's lack of wrestling ability was exposed, and he didn't have much to offer in the way of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu once the fight went to the ground. Now, let's be honest, Demian Maia is a BJJ wizard and there are only a select few people in the world who can beat him on the ground. However, there are fighters who can effectively defend his takedowns or keep him from transitioning with ease once the fight is on the ground. Against Magny, Maia was able to easily take him to the ground early on in the fight, and then he transitioned to mount with almost no resistance. This is a concerning fight for Magny because even though Maia has above-average wrestling ability, his takedown ability pales in comparison to that of welterweight elites like Johnny Hendricks and Tyron Woodley. Magny will have to go back to the gym and improve his takedown defense and defensive grappling if he hopes to put himself in the UFC Welterweight title picture in the future. In his next fight against Erick Silva, it will be interesting to see how Magny evolves as a mixed martial artist. The quick turnaround will give him a chance to put his first UFC loss since 2013 behind him and get a new winning streak started.
Next Fight: Erick Silva, UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Oliveira (August 23rd, 2015)