UFC 313 has had controversy in just the second fight of the night following a great start to the card.
The Octagon’s return to Las Vegas took a little while longer to get started than usual with UFC 313 featuring some delays.
Two fights fell off the card, including the return of Curtis Blaydes, but once the action got underway, there was plenty of talking points.
The card opener between Ozzy Diaz and Djorden Santos set a high bar for the rest of the night with a back-and-forth middleweight clash.
In the second matchup, The Ultimate Fighter winner Mairon Santos looked to earn his first win inside the Octagon against America’s Francis Marshall.
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Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier slate the Santos vs Marshall scorecards
Brazil’s Mairon Santos handed Francis Marshall his third loss inside the Octagon following a three-round bout in the featherweight division.
Following the final bell, reactions flooded in from social media with fans crediting Marshall for pulling off the underdog win with some believing that he deserved to win all three rounds.
Whilst judge Derek Cleary agreed with that sentiment, the other two judges saw the fight the other way, inspiring a passionate response on social media as fans scrutinized the decision.
Santos won via split decision but the audience inside the T-Mobile Arena and the commentary team made it clear that the outcome wasn’t a popular one by labelling it a “bad decision”.
Jon Anik, Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan all stated that the fight should have gone the other way with Rogan saying that a 30-27 in favor of Marshall seemed much more plausible.
The judges might not be needed in the main event
Fight fans will be hoping that the result of Mairon Santos vs Francis Marshall is an anomaly on this card rather than a recurring narrative of UFC 313.
Fortunately for the main event of the evening, both men have a good track record for putting their opponents away.
Alex Pereira’s devastating striking has seen him win 10 of his 12 pro MMA bouts via knockout, including his three defenses of the light heavyweight title.
Magomed Ankalaev has also proven himself to be a dangerous finisher with 11 of his 20 wins coming via finish with six UFC knockouts.