The Complete Guide To Determining A Fixed Fight

How do you know when a MMA fight is fixed? You can’t just scream “fix” after every fight because that hurts your credibility. You have to pick and choose your battles.

That’s why I’ve created this handy guide that lets you know when it is best to call “fix” on a MMA fight. If you believe a fight is fixed, make sure to consult this guide before you make such a claim. Not doing so could ruin your reputation for ever.

Did the fight take place in Japan?

If yes, there’s a good chance the fight was fixed. It doesn’t matter who fought and who won. If it happened in Japan, it may have been fixed. And you can comfortably call “fix” on a Japanese fight without fear of being labeled an idiot because there’s a good chance that you’ll eventually be proven right. Not only is every Japanese fight potentially fixed, but everyone over there is also on steroids and they’ve always been on steroids. Except Dan Henderson.

Ex. Every Japanese fight Ever

Was it a main event promoted by Scott Coker?

If yes, it’s possible that the fight was fixed. You have to be careful when calling “fix” on a Scott Coker promoted main event. Not all of them are fixed. However, if the fight involves someone over the age of 35, the chances of it being fixed goes up. If it involves two guys over the age of 35, you may as well call “fix” before the fight. Furthermore, if the fight involves a major draw, it’s also possible that the fight was fixed.

Ex. Tito Ortiz vs. Chael Sonnen, Royce Gracie vs. Ken Shamrock, Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock

Did the judges give the decision to the more popular fighter?

If yes, then we may have a case of the promoter paying off the judges and not cluing in the fighters. Typically, if you’re going to fix a fight, you pay one guy to take a dive. But sometimes, that guy doesn’t want to do business. And if he doesn’t want to do business, you have to pay off the judges. This plan can be thwarted if the fight ends in a stoppage, but the fighter that eventually wins may have been told, “leave it in the hands of the judges.” This is code for “the decision will go your way. All you have to do is make sure you get it to a decision.”

Ex. Michael Bisping vs. Matt Hamill, Georges St. Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks

Did one fighter dominate but somehow got finished?

If yes, then you’ve just witnessed “the money fix.” This is done to set up a rematch between two fighters, knowing that the rematch will do huge business. This can be done one of two ways. First, the superior fighter can dominate and then take the fall, knowing that a rematch has already been scheduled and they can easily win the rematch. Or, the superior fighter can act like they are in trouble for a long stretch of time before mounting their comeback. This puts over the inferior fighter and makes people believe that he has a chance in the rematch.

Ex. Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 1, Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 1

Did you see a signal?

If yes, then the fighters did a bad job of protecting the fix. The signal isn’t supposed to be noticed. Unless fighters are trying to get their John Cena on and call the spot so loud that people not even watching can hear it, fighters shouldn’t give away the moment. But we’ve seen it happen so many times. A quick head nod. A little look down. A tap on the back or leg. A clinch where it seems obvious that they are talking. There are plenty of signs, you just have to be on the look out for them.

Ex. Luke Rockhold nodding to Vitor Belfort in their first fight before the spinning heel kick, Ben Henderson tapping the cage with his foot prior to the Showtime Kick

Did the fight involve a pro wrestler? 

If yes, then the fight was definitely fixed. Because pro wrestlers aren’t MMA fighters. They don’t know how to throw a real strike. It’s all worked stuff. Did you see CM Punk throwing a real strike? Nope. Nothing he threw landed. Because he’s a pro wrestler. This fix is always obvious because we know pro wrestlers aren’t afraid to lose cleanly if the money is right. That’s why so many MMA promoters use pro wrestlers.

Ex. Every Ken Shamrock and Bob Sapp fight ever

Have you ever claimed that a fight was fixed before?

If no, then you can skip the above guidelines. If you’ve never used the “fixed” card during your time as a MMA fan, you have one free play. Make sure to use it wisely. Don’t use it on some prelim fight that no one cares about. Use it after a PPV main event that draws a million buys. This ensures that you’ll put more attention on yourself, which is really the whole point of saying a fight was fixed in the first place.

Ex. Thomas Rios saying Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor was fixed

Did the fight not go how you thought it would? 

If yes, then it was definitely fixed because you can never be wrong about MMA.

Ex. Every fight ever