California State Athletic Commission Executive Director Andy Foster is not in favor of open scoring in combat sports — he has his reasons — but he seems supportive of referees exhorting action during fights by employing the timidity rule.
Foster, speaking on The MMA Hour, said one reason he is personally against open scoring in MMA is that, “If a fighter knows that they’re up, they’re going to fight defensive, they’re going to fight to win. So if they’re up two rounds, a lot of times they’ll coast that last round. And it’s not me saying it, I can show you videos of it happening, especially in boxing.