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UFC Vegas 109: Controversy Report
In what was one of the most underrated UFC Apex cards of the year, we got some of the most controversial decisions as well. Three Split Decisions and some odd score-cards embellished what otherwise was a solid card with highlight finishes and a dominating display in the main event from Anthony Hernandez. Of course, we will dive deep into these controversial decisions and if they were correct.
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Eric McConico defeats Cody Brundage
- Split Decision (29-28 x2, 27-30)
As we all know, there is no such thing as a normal Cody Brundage bout. Following his decision loss, then overturned to a draw, Brundage carried a rainbow like record, with One DQ, One Draw and One No Contest in his last five, seemingly avoiding three extra losses that should be in his record. He came into this fight looking more confident and composed, though the fight was without a doubt close.
Out of the three rounds of the fight, Round 1 was the hardest and closest round to score. Brundage got tagged and hurt earlier, but managed to recover and implement some wrestling. The numbers showed Brundage landing 8 to Eric McConico’s 3 significant strikes. McConico would do more damage to Brundage, though the efforts to cut the distance and implement some solid control against the fence were effective, with 2:32 of control time. The reason why this round was close was because Brundage was hurt early, though recovered and had the control time to settle it. Ben Cartlidge gave this round to McConico while judges Lee and Weeks awarded it to Brundage. Personally, Brundage did well recovering to win this round, so I don’t see a problem awarding it to either man.
Round 2 is where the problem escalates a bit further. Brundage outlands McConico here again, 11 to 7, while having 3 minutes of control time which included two successful takedowns. In this case, it was a clear Brundage round, which is EXACTLY what ONE judge in Chris Lee got right. Personally, judges Cartlidge and Weeks were completely off the mark, awarding it for McConico.
As we move on, more shenanigans occur. McConico with more urgency in this round outstrikes Brundage 16 to 12 and gathers nearly 1:44 of control time. McConico seems to be controlling the pace, as Brundage is a bit more fatigued. In essence, McConico was in charge of every single scoring attribute, though magically, judges Cartlidge and Lee award this to Brundage, leaving Weeks as the sole judge to award this to McConico.
Conclusion, a McConico win. The fight was truly close, and it truly was only Round 1 where I had an internal debate when deciding who had won or lost. The massive debate stands on how Round 2 was erroneously scored by Cartlidge and Weeks, while Round 3 was erroneously scored by Cartlidge and Lee. These are the moments where as fans, frustration grows further.
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Jean Matsumoto defeats Miles Johns
- Split Decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)
Following a controversial loss to Rob Font, Jean Matsumoto was looking forward to getting his hand raised, and as Joe Martinez read out the victor, you could see the relief on his end compared to agony from his opponent, Miles Johns. A lot of the split decisions we cover aren’t that complex, primarily coming to one round where Judges disagree, though in tonight’s case, we’ve seen almost every single round in these split decisions be in opposite directions.
We start off well in Round 1, with Miles Johns outstriking the Brazilian 22 to 16, and gathering 1:42 of control time. While close, Johns did enough, in my opinion, to distance himself from Matsumoto on this round, and as a fan, I understood that Matsumoto would be heading into Round 2, needing to win the next two rounds. Unfortunately, Judge Cartlidge had a different idea, awarding this to Matsumoto. Judges Bell and D’Amato were on the correct end of this one.
The Second Round was again, mixed amongst the judges, and a repeat offender in Ben Cartlidge decided to take an antagonistic role. Matsumoto leads the strikes, though not by much, only one strike and then control time, again not by much, only one second. The key difference here was the damage done by Matsumoto and the optics of his efforts. Judges Bell and D’Amato were correct in awarding it for the Brazilian.
Round 3, we see another example of a Ben Cartlidge masterclass, deviating from his peers Mike Bell and Sal D’Amato as the only one awarding this round for Johns. When we look at statistics, Matsumoto outlanded Johns here 44 to 27, being successful with heavy shots. Johns managed to get three takedowns, though only converted 1 full minute of control time, which in my opinion, isn’t enough to overpower the large striking discrepancy of almost 20 strikes here.
Personally, Matsumoto rightfully won the fight and it serves as a reminder that damage does trump control. Ben Cartlidge arguably got all three rounds incorrect, with the benefit of the doubt being given to a closer first round.
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Andre Fili defeats Christian Rodriguez
- Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)
Out of all the Split Decisions, this was arguably the least controversial one. As an underdog, Andre Fili delivered, against the prominent “prospect-killer” Christian Rodriguez, who wasn’t facing an undefeated prospect this time around, but rather a seasoned veteran of the featherweight division. All three rounds were quite close, but I do believe judges were accurate in the most part.
Round 1 was quite even, though all Judges sided with Fili, despite C-Rod having the statistical advantage. Fili landed heavier shots, though was out-struck 29 to 22. When it came to control, C-Rod had a slight edge, at only 35 seconds. Personally, it was the correct call.
The Second Round saw one judge, Chris Lee, side with Christian Rodriguez. The other two, Colon and Mayness stuck with the Veteran. Statistically, C-Rod prevailed, though the sheer volume and pressure of Fili, throwing 69 strikes against 57 made a difference, particularly with the ones that landed. Seemingly, while landing less, Fili did more. Again, in my opinion, a close, yet clear round for Fili.
The third and final round was another close round. Statistically, C-Rod was on top here, though Judge Colon awarded it for Fili, going against his colleagues in Chris Lee and Anthony Maness. Ultimately, C-Rod landed 25 strikes, 6 more than Fili, though Fili had almost a minute and a half of control time paired with three takedowns. Another close round, but based purely on damage, C-Rod takes the cake.
Conclusively, another close decision, though far less egregious when you compare it to the two split-decisions we saw previously. This fight also served as a reminder on how important optics can be in a fight.
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