UFC 127 Recap: A Comedy of Errors
The UFC judges are really starting to work my nerves. Last November during UFC 123, I was force fed the questionable split decision victory for Rampage Jackson. Two months later, I found in a similar situation with the Edgar/Maynard draw at the end of UFC 125.
With this 2 month period of bad scoring set up, I figured March would be the next time a UFC event ended in controversy. Fate, unfortunately, had other plans. This past weekend, fight fans (myself included) saw UFC 127’s main bout become another fight tainted by the judges. Jon Fitch and BJ Penn were awarded a majority draw for their efforts.
I can’t let it slide anymore. These judges are getting wrong. I saw this fight, and from what I saw one man deserved to pick up the victory. That man was Jon Fitch, not BJ Penn (my pick to win). Let’s take break this down round by round…
Round 1: Penn surprised Fitch by aggressively going for a takedown rather than keep the fight standing. Penn would get his takedown, and while on the ground he attempted a couple rear naked chokes to end the fight quickly. Both times, he was thwarted by Fitch. Fitch could only weather Penn’s tenacious onslaught, and was lucky to escape the round with just a bloody nose. My score for Round 1: Penn 10, Fitch 8.
Round 2: Penn gets another takedown, but things don’t work out like they did in the previous round. Penn helplessly tries to maintain dominant position over Fitch, but Fitch craftily pulls a reversal on Penn. After that, Fitch showcased his superior wrestling skills en route to winning the round. My score for Round 2: Penn 8, Fitch 10.
Round 3: Went down pretty much like Round 2, but this time Penn was completely outmatched by Fitch. Penn got another takedown. The inevitable reversal from Fitch came, and Penn couldn’t do anything to stop it. Fitch being the bigger of the two (and his wrestling pedigree) was too much for Penn. To BJ’s credit, he did try to swing things in his favor. The business end of Fitch’s ground and pound was his reward. My score for Round 3: Penn 8, Fitch 10. Total Score: Fitch 28, Penn 26.
ARVE Error: no video ID
Maybe I’m wrong here. Maybe I missed something. Then again, when the scores were read I know I wasn’t the only guy at Hooters confused. It might be time for some new blood in the judges’ ranks. Maybe then we’ll get fights scored correctly.
Other Notable Fights from UFC 127:
Michael Bisping def. Jorge Rivera via TKO (strikes) at 01:54 of Rd 2.
Dennis Siver def. George Sotiropoulos via unanimous decision.
Brian Ebersole def. Chris Lytle via unanimous decision.
Ross Pearson def. Spencer Fisher via unanimous decision.
