Roman Dolidze clearly beat John Allan on the main card of UFC on ESPN 19 on Saturday night. However, it will go down officially as a split decision, after judges Mike Bell and Dave Hagen gave Dolidze the fight via scores of 30-27 and 29-28 respectively, and, inexplicably, judge Chris Lee saw it for Allan 27-28.
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Dolidze was a gentleman when asked about the score, saying that he was not an expert on judging. UFC president Dana White was more blunt.
I don’t know how that guy could score that fight that way, said White. I had a 51-year-old schoolteacher from Massachusetts that I grew up with who was watching the fights. A 51-year-old woman that I went to school with in kindergarten text me tonight and go, ‘I don’t know s*** about fights, but who judged that fight?’ I swear to God, that’s the truth. That’s how scary that is.
Yeah, it’s not good. It’s something the commission needs to stay on top of, and they need to single out and call out people that continually make bad calls. They’re going to f*** somebody’s life up. They really are.
Lee being the odd man out on Saturday was not unusual for him. He judged 48 fights last year, and as recorded by MMA Decisions, eight times was on the losing side of a Split Decision.
Paul Felder was calling the fights on Saturday, but last month, he stepped up on short notice and fought Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 40. Lee scored the fight for Felder; even Felder said he disagreed with the decision for him, and very pointedly disagreed with the decision Saturday.
Everyone agreed on Round 2. The majority agreed on Round 3. So it comes down to Round 1. Some may argue that it is “just” one round, but that’s not how judging works – it isn’t a judge’s job to get it right most of the time, any more than it is a pilot’s job to land a plane properly most of the time. Referees have to balance a fighter’s livelihood with health and safety, which is inherently impossible in a hurting game. But judges have no counteracting needs. The question that needs to be answered is how did Chris Lee score Round 1 for John Allan?
The UFC does not appoint judges, the Nevada Athletic Commission does. It is now incumbent on the NAC to address the issue. If they don’t, it speaks volumes.
h/t Steven Marrocco for MMA Fighting
