When the news broke in early 2010 that the state of Massachusetts would finally be officially sanctioning mixed martial arts beginning in March, the early buzz revolved around the UFC’s debut show. With the historic UFC 118 now just days away, Tapology sought some insight into the inner workings of the new Boston MMA scene by speaking to licensed referee Gary Eblan.

In addition to being a Sgt. in the Boston Police Dept. skilled in hand-to-hand combat and defensive tactics, Eblan is a martial artist with over 40 years of training experience. Having been involved in the local MMA scene for the last ten years, Eblan jumped on an opportunity to assist the MA Athletic Commission this year by lending his knowledge and experience to the state’s new referees and judges.

Tapology’s Steven Kelliher recently spoke with Eblan to get the details on his clinics for local officials-in-training. Eblan also discussed some of the problems with today’s MMA officiating and what is being done in MA to attempt to avoid incompetence and inject professionalism into the sport on both the professional and amateur levels.

Tapology: My overall goal in speaking with you is to get your thoughts on the current state of judging and refereeing in MMA nationwide. There has been a lot of criticism and controversy surrounding both judges and referees as of late, and even concerning the 10-point must system of scoring bouts. What are your thoughts on the current state of MMA regulation in the U.S.?

Click below for Gary’s answer and the rest of the interview:

http://www.tapology.com/2010/08/bostons-gary-eblan-discusses-mma-in-ma-looks-to-imbue-new-refsjudges-with-competence-and-professionalism/