It was like a cauldron in that little arena – red hot and the noise had nowhere to escape, trapped inside the confines of concrete and turnstiles.

A crowd of close to 8,000 Brazilian fans had filed in for hours on end that night, sitting intently and waiting for the action to begin. The quietly swaying masses quickly became an explosive cacophony of color and sound, however, as the UFC logo hit on the big screen and the familiar opening bars of the fighter introduction reel rang out.

In a heartbeat, the mood changed, and the booing rang out around the arena as the first fighter of the evening strolled bravely out of the tunnel, and he wasn’t a local favorite. It was Jeremy Larsen from Tucson, Arizona, and the fans quickly let him know about it.

I wasn’t scheduled to begin judging until a little later on the card, so I was free to soak up the ambience and absorb everything that I’d been told about the patriotic fight crowds in Brazil. The boos and shrieks duly turned into a joyous parade, however, as Lucas Martins made his way to the octagon, in front of the now-smiling masses.

The fans had changed their tune on a dime, when given the chance to support a hometown hero.

If you’ve not seen Jeremy Larsen vs. Lucas Martins, I’d heartily recommend it. It was the opening gambit of UFC on FX 8, back in 2013, and it’s also one the great lost gems from the current era of 24/7 mixed martial arts in which we live. It also, however, serves as a great case study of a danger that can befall any judge – a danger never more present than during an intense, back-and-forth battle, in front of a massively partisan crowd.

Every strike from Martins was greeted not only by the customary yell from his corner irrespective of whether it hit the target, but also the roar from the thousands in attendance. Larsen also had several big moments throughout the fight where victory seemed within his grasp, but the volume seemed to dissipate at an incredulous level whenever the American prospered.

It’s an accepted part of the corner team’s responsibility to give their fighter every single advantage that they can within the rules. However, The Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts define “interference from a mixed martial artist’s corner or seconds” as a foul.

The following definition is given by the Association of Boxing Commissions to further develop the concept:

“Interference is defined as any action or activity aimed at disrupting the fight or causing an unfair advantage to be given to one combatant. Corners are not allowed to distract the referee or influence the actions of the referee in any fashion.”

A corner can’t influence an official directly, but by shouting loudly as their fighter strives to land, they may be attempting to sow seeds of doubt into the minds of the judges – judges who may be unsure for a split-second as to whether that particular strike landed or not.

Good corner teams will shout encouragement to their fighters during dominant periods not only to bolster confidence, but also to attempt to leave a mental mark in the mind of the officials.

As a judge, you have to be able to separate the useful from the unnecessary.

Your eyes will always provide the primary focus and initial source of information, but the more familiar you become with the differential in sounds within the fight, the quicker you can make more accurate assessments of significance and impact.

I’ve been fortunate enough to work in front of some of the most passionate fans anywhere in the world, but from Jordan to Brazil to Australia to Chechnya to Ireland, the process remains the same; it has to. The roar of the crowd, although impressive, in time will simply become white noise as the primary focus can only exist on the combatants staring intently, ready to compete.

I’d be lying if I said that as a judge, I’d never been in situations that were somewhat volatile in front of a patriotic set of supporters. One particular assignment saw my chair positioned around 20 feet away from a powerful political figure, who had several close associates and countrymen fighting on the card. It didn’t change my approach, though. If it does, then this isn’t the seat you need to be sitting in.

This great sport will always be doused in emotion, but as a judge, it is exactly this that you can’t buy into. You can appreciate the nature of the occasion, the reception of the thousands watching and the soaring vocal accompaniment from all in attendance, but you cannot let yourself be taken away by it. Distancing yourself emotionally from all of these factors will allow you to judge fights in the most scientific and efficient way possible, ensuring that all fighters are given a fair and equal chance, irrespective of the color of their passports and the voracity of the local support.

Ben Cartlidge is a U.K.-based judge who has been active since 2010 and been cageside to score more than 1,300 bouts for organizations such as the UFC, Bellator, Cage Warriors, KSW and BAMMA.