This weekend’s UFC 179 card came to us from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the it featured a lot of flat action until the main event, where Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes stole the show. But the card once again featured questionable judging, so the refrain for some type of oversight or control over the judges for MMA could start up again. Since nothing has changed, if UFC 179 is not exactly defined by bad judging, if the transgressions on this card are not enough to get the armchair judges screaming again, then don’t worry, you can be sure the next instance of bad judging is right around the corner.
In particular, I’m talking about the Lucas Martins and Darren Elkins match-up. Personally, I’m an Elkins fan and know some of his teammates. But let’s first point out that in this case, the right fighter eventually won. Elkins had a 5-0 streak fade into a 2-2 record in the four fights since then, so he was in need of a win. Add to that the stress of fighting in hostile territory a long way from home, and Elkins was smart to fight with control and grind out the win. Though it wasn’t a fight that will fill a highlight reel, it was a solid win.
Watching the fight, it’s clear that those who may have been rooting for the underdog Martins became more and more disgruntled as they watched Elkins outwork him round after round. By the end of the fight, fans had probably moved on, not waiting for the judges’ decision to be official before already checking off the wager as money lost. It was pretty clear Elkins had won the bout.
Then the judges cards come back: 30-27, 30-27 and 27-30. Wait a minute, what? 27-30? It is hard to believe that anyone could see all three rounds going to Martins. This judge here is clearly a moron, and the frightening part is that Elkins and the fans were lucky, because he was just one moron away from losing the fight, and with today’s judging not getting any better, this in itself is worrisome.
Here are highlights from the UFC’s post fight press conference:
