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UFC President Dana White expressed disbelief with the verdict of Cory Sandhagen Vs. Marlon Vera on March 25.
The UFC San Antonio headliner was scored as a split decision for Sandhagen, with judge Joel Odeja scoring the bout in favour of Vera. Many fans and critics scored a unanimous decision for Sandhagen, and White shared this sentiment, saying “it could have been 5-0” in favour of Sandhagen.
‘That’s Pretty Scary’: Dana White Shocked by Split Decision
White took to the mic at the UFC San Antonio post-fight presser. His reaction to the scorecard was bewilderment and disbelief.
“I was literally coming out of the bathroom and I was like ‘what the f—k…?’
“It could have been 5-0, it could have been [4-1], but yeah, split? Wow. That’s pretty scary.”
Sandhagen was soundly outworking Vera on the feet and dominated grappling exchanges with elbows and gruelling top control. The “Sandman” constantly kept Vera on the back foot, sending mixed signals with feints and stance switches.
The official stats had Sandhagen out landing Vera in every round for significant strikes, landing more than double Vera’s output overall. Sandhagen also landed three of 12 attempted takedowns and amassed over seven minutes of ground control time.
Strike differentials saw Sandhagen land 128 of 280 significant strikes, compared to Vera’s 58 of 158. Judge Odeja scored rounds three, four, and five for Vera, whilst the only other judge to score a single round for Vera was Chris Lee with round three.
Whether Vera’s work in these rounds justifies scoring the fight in his favour, is dependable on the UFC’s scoring criteria. The UFC uses the unified rules of MMA, which favours effective striking, damage, takedowns, aggression, and control time.
Round three saw Sandhagen outland Vera by 12 strikes. In Round four Sandhagen took the lead by 11 strikes, and in round five, Sandhagen again came out on top by eight strikes. Vera didn’t land any takedowns, or amass control time in any of these rounds, but he did create visible damage on Sandhagen’s face, which may have swayed Odeja’s opinion.
The MMA Community Reacts to Vera Vs. Sandhagen Split Decision
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev Tweeted, “I want to see the judge who gave Chito.”
Middleweight contender Ciao Borralho was outraged, “Guys, wtf is happening with this judges in Texas??? Mind blowing.”
UFC heavyweight Justin Tafa chimed in, “WTF 48-47 Vera ? Not surprised though these judges.”
“The Immortal” Matt Brown was matter of fact, “Corey vs Merab I’m here for it! Can’t get over that scorecard tho… If that doesn’t tell you judging needs fixed I don’t know what to tell you.
“The judge that gave that to Vera should be fired by morning.”
Welterweight title contender Belal Muhammad Tweeted, “Interview that judge let’s sit and ask him why.”
Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman said, “48-47 Vera??? I love Chito as well but damn what was that judge watching smh.”
“Triple C” Henry Cejudo gave his thoughts, “These judges make me sick. That was a 5 round beating!”
Famed boxing coach Teddy Atlas weighed in, “Split decision? What’s this boxing?”
UFC Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling Tweeted, “I just want an explanation. This is happening way too often…”
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