Woodley: Don't leave it in the hands of the judges is 'the stupidest comment ever'

With a pair of controversial decisions marring what was otherwise a solid night of fights Sunday, there were a lot of folks parroting the popular phrase "Don't leave it in the hands of the judges."

It's a well-worn cliche that makes little to no sense in high-level MMA, where it's often incredibly hard to impose your will or game plan on another talented fighter.  

Welterweight contender Tyron Woodley wants fans and media members alike to abolish the pointless phrase, voicing his (incredibly long, but accurate) opinions on the matter on his Twitter page.

People! Quit saying don't leave it in the judges hands! That's the stupidest comment ever. You sound bites are delusional.

No fighter thinks 'Hey I'm going to leave it in the judges hand'. No fighter wants to get finished. The higher you go in competition the closer the matchup is!

Quit being a recorder and repeating everything you (hear) Joe (Rogan) or Dana (White) say. Be an individual and a fan. Know you have no clue the mental capacity it takes to compete at this level. The sacrifice, diet, training, sparring, luck, favor, being at the top during your peak, and being fortunate enough to not have substantial injuries during 3-4 training camps per year. Not to include family, finance, life struggles and uncontrollable variables.

We UFC fighters appreciate your passion, but you are passionate to a fault. Living through these Sat(urday) fight nights, taking stabs and shots at people you don't know from a stranger on the street.

Life is larger than the Octagon. Sun(day) after u done talkin about the fight. Monday you go back to work. We go back to work in the gym. To fulfill these ridiculous expectations you blood thirsty fans want to see.

Risking our health, time with family and the leisure activity you get to enjoy on the weekend. 

I challenge all non fighters to do a (eight-week) camp (and) take 1 amateur fight to appreciate what we do more deeply and become a more conditional fan. #SoapBoxOver #JustSaying

- With h/t to BloodyElbow