UFC welterweight Rinat Fakhretdinov destroyed the UFC 308 broadcast team after his controversial win over Carlos Leal.
Rinat Fakhretdinov and Carlos Leal went the distance in their UFC 308 prelims opener.
Despite Leal winning on most observers’ scorecards, Fakhretdinov walked away with the unanimous decision win (29-28 x 2, 30-27), which saw Dana White get told he has to ‘fix’ MMA judging.
UFC 308 commentators ripped by controversial winner
After an MMA media member relayed Jon Anik, Daniel Cormier, and Paul Felder’s reactions to the official decision, Fakhretdinov scoffed at his fighting colleagues’ stances at his post-fight press conference.
“Why is everyone surprised with the decision?” Fakhretdinov asked. “
“Really bad commentators…first off it was pretty close, it could’ve gone either way. But I didn’t have any doubt the second and third round was won. After your words, people will say again the Arabs bought the decision.”
Anik, Cormier, and Felder all scored the fight in Leal’s favor.
It was a back-and-forth battle from start to finish between Fakhretdinov and Leal. But, many believe Leal’s damage output and Octagon control were enough to secure the nod on the scorecards.
Rinat Fakhretdinov spoils Carlos Leal’s UFC debut with controversial decision win
Fakhretdinov entered UFC 308 on a 22-fight unbeaten streak, featuring wins against the likes of Kevin Lee and Bryan Battle. The win over Leal at UFC 308 is his second consecutive win since a majority draw against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos last November.
Leal made his UFC debut on short notice after stints in PFL, LFA, and UAE Warriors. The former PFL welterweight semifinalist earned a first-round finish against Manuel Mena at LFA 187 before getting the days’ notice opportunity against Fakhretdinov.
The controversial scorecards for Fakhretdinov vs. Leal add to a head-scratching year for MMA judging.
A heavyweight clash between Tai Tuivasa and Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 305 featured an astounding 30-27 scorecard for Tuivasa, despite Rozenstruik outmarking Tuivasa for the majority of the fight.
After the 30-27 judging nod, the UFC 305 judge was removed from the rest of the event by commission officials.
Hopefully, Fakhretdinov’s controversial win won’t be an indicator of what’s to come on the UFC 308 main card. The event is headlined by a featherweight clash between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway.
- LIVE: Stream information, start time, updates and results as Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway throw down in Abu Dhabi