An excellent welterweight bout between Rinat Fakhretdinov and Carlos Leal that opened the UFC 308 preliminary card Saturday was tainted by a controversial decision and one of the most suspect judges’ scorecards in mixed martial arts this year.
Fakhretdinov got his hand raised after 15 minutes when he was awarded a unanimous decision victory over Leal, who was making his UFC debut. However, the result was met with universal confusion.
Judging in MMA can be subjective, though judges must follow specific scoring criteria judges, and controversial split decisions are a regular part of the sport.
The issue with this matchup, in particular, is the one scorecard that saw all three rounds for Fakhretdinov.
Both fighters ended up landing more than 100 significant strikes each, with Leal landing more in the opening two rounds before Fakhretdinov finished with a stronger third. Leal, a former LFA and PFL fighter, also defended 17 of Fakhretdinov’s 19 takedown attempts.
Paul Felder openly criticized the decision and the 30-27 scorecard alongside Jon Anik and Daniel Cormier on the official broadcast.
According to MMA Decisions, a website that tracks MMA judges and media scoring for all major events, all 16 members who logged scores for Fakhretdinov vs. Leal scored the fight for Leal — with the majority giving all three rounds to Leal, not Fakhretdinov.
Leal, 30, looks like a solid addition to the UFC’s 170-pound division.
Fakhretdinov, 33, extended his current unbeaten streak to six fights in a row although this latest win will be remembered as a win that has an unofficial asterisk beside it.