Overview
- Veteran referee Herb Dean said on Michael Bisping's podcast that officials will begin enforcing the existing ban on extending fingers toward an opponent's eyes.
- Referees plan to take points before an injury occurs, moving away from the previous practice of penalizing only after damage from an eye poke.
- Officials are drafting clearer guidance to define the infraction, including whether having the fingers up should be considered a foul.
- Dean noted that MMA is a one-point sport, so a single deduction could flip many three-round results that commonly end 29-28.
- The Aspinall–Gane no-contest at UFC 321 precipitated the shift, though when and where the updated enforcement and guidelines will roll out remains undecided.