Former UFC Middleweight Champion Michael Bisping and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier expressed disappointment at the judges’ split decision at the UFC on ESPN 44. Cormier was frustrated because he felt the decision was unfair.
Lucy Pudirova, who made a successful return to the UFC last August, has indicated she is refocusing on wrestling, and it was expected to be a grappler-forward matchup, but it turned out to be a grappler-forward matchup was expanded to Pudirova immediately calling for a takedown, forcing Edwards to step back and counter with straight punches.
Pudirova tackled her just over a minute into Round 1 after Edwards responded with another takedown and her knees firmly on her body.
How did Joselyn Edwards get the win?
Bantamweights Joselyn Edwards and Pudirova hit the scorecard in Saturday’s opener at the T-Mobile Center, with Edwards spending much of the three-round bout defending against Pudirova’s grappling. Won a split decision.
Before the verdict was read, commentator Daniel Cormier declared Pudirois victorious. Shortly after Edward raised his hand, he immediately protested the judge’s decision on Twitter.
In the MMA decision, 14 of the 14 media members listed scored the fight in Pudirova’s favor. This is his second straight split decision win for Edwards.
Bisping and Cormier were fuming
According to Bisping, the judges were making decisions and not paying enough attention to their combatants. They could not evaluate.
“We don’t have a lot of time to waste, but that is as bad as I’ve ever seen,” Fitzgerald said on the ESPN+ prelim broadcast. Edwards (13-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) edged with 29-28, 28-29, and 29-28 scorecards in the women’s bantamweight bout with Pudilova (14-8 MMA, 3-6 UFC) at T-Mobile Center.
ESPN 44’s UFC event in Las Vegas featured many high-level fights. However, the judges’ controversial decisions left many fans and critics in a bad mood. Despite the decision, the fighters put all their effort into displaying their skills. This led to an exciting night of fighting.
That’s really bad! What a bad start to the night with Judging. Holy shit
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) April 15, 2023
— Herbert Burns (@HerbertBurnsMMA) April 15, 2023
The UFC judges’ split decision on ESPN 44 drew criticism from fans and pundits, including former champions Michael Bisping and Daniel Cormier. The decision was controversial, but the fighter still went all out and put on a great show for the fans of the sport.
Fans have witnessed a lot of foul decisions on UFC. However, the commentators unanimously agreed on a false call very rarely. Cormier even took to Twitter to vent off.
What do you think of the result? Who do you think should have won this fight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
