Controversy Report: UFC Vegas 104

UFC Vegas 104

I am happy to announce that this last fight card was perhaps the best event in terms of controversy in 2025. Out of 13 fights, we had 9 stoppage victories, and all relatively clean. Despite these electrifying finishes, we still had sprinkles of questionable judging, which of course we will be addressing. Overall, a solid card with little to be concerned about, all things considered, of course. 

Sam Hughes defeats Stephanie Luciano

• Split Decision (29-28-29-27-29-28)

Sam Hughes came into this fight as a notorious underdog, and prospect killer, having derailed prospects as a sizable underdog before. Stephanie Luciano’s strategy was clear to pick Hughes apart from a distance while the American wished to make this ugly, pairing her takedowns, and cutting distance. 

Round 1 was awarded to Sam Hughes on two score-cards, from Mike Bell and Derek Cleary, while Sal D’Amato had it 10-9 for the Brazilian. Hughes landed two takedowns in this round, with less than one minute of control time, while Luciano outstruck the American by 7 strikes, at a 51% efficiency rate, 10% more than Hughes. Based on damage, Luciano should had won, however the aggression of Hughes probably swayed the judges in her direction. A close round, but based on damage, Luciano should have won this round. Regardless, a close round, though in my eyes a clear Luciano 10-9. 

The second round was by far the most dominant round of the fight, with Sampage doing what she does best, making it dirty, suffocating, implementing over 3 total minutes of takedowns and out-striking Luciano 71 to 20, dominating on the ground. There was really no discussion on who won this round, with all judges in agreement, however Judge Derek Cleary awarded Hughes with a 10-8 round. 

A 10-8 Round is to be used when there is no argument on who was the victor of the round, with clear domination being a factor. Simply put, if one fighter has clear domination through the duration of the round, a 10-8 round should be awarded. The only issue is that 10-8’s in MMA are primarily used only if a fighter is close to being battered, finished, and practically rendered unconscious. Think of Moicano and Saint-Denis. While by definition Hughes did dominate Luciano, in most cases I feel judges would not award that with a 10-8. Personally, I believe we should be more open with 10-8 rounds, and I have no issue with the American getting the 10-8 round here. 

We headed into the third round with momentum on the side of Hughes, however it did seem she was a bit more fatigued, with Luciano as the fresher fighter. All three judges gave this round to Luicano, and I would agree. While striking numbers were close to even, Luciano landed the more damaging shots, stuffed all 5 of Hughes’s takedowns and even landed one of her own with one minute of control time. An easy and unanimous 10-9 round in my books. 

The fight ended and of course people were expecting a close decision, and with the infamous split screen, we had Sam Hughes as the victor of the fight by Split Decision. Personally, I would have this fight as a draw, with a combined score of 28 a piece. The second round for Hughes justifies a 10-8 by the regulation, however the first and last round should be given to Luciano for her output and damage, hence bringing the total to 28-28. Do we need more frequent draws in MMA? 

Alexander Hernandez defeats Kurt Holobaugh

• Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)

Many predicted this would be a close fight from the start, and for those that bet either fighter by decision, their angle was valid. The rounds were close, but primarily one round stirred controversy, so let’s break down one of the worst fights of an otherwise quite exciting card. 

Round 1 was a unanimous win for Alexander Hernandez, on all three score-cards. The first round was quite close on striking numbers with Kurt Holobaugh outlanding by 4, though Hernandez secured one takedown that allowed him to get the nod on all three score-cards. While close, no controversy here. 

As we head to the second round, here is where it gets a tad more controversial. Holobaugh landed 38 to Hernandez’s 30 strikes, landed 6 more to the head and 4 more to the body. Based off a damage based scoring system there is no way Holobaugh did more on the ground with two minutes of control time to reverse the round his way. Hernandez landed 7 ground strikes through two minutes, with none of these strikes being far impactful. For that reason, I do believe Judge Colon was incorrect in awarding this round to Hernandez. 

Round 3 was once more a close round, though not controversial, as all three judges awarded this for Hernandez. Each fighter landed 7 strikes, though Hernandez had 4 minutes and 30 seconds of ground control time. That leaves 30 seconds in a neutral position for this round, so there really is no secret here. Hernandez wins 29-28, with the second round being put in question for why one judge awarded it a 10-9 for Hernandez. 

UFC London To See Some Home Cooking?

UFC London is around the corner this weekend so I’m sure we will be expecting claims of home cooking from the judges if we do see close fights. It’s the case whenever the UFC packs its bags for global travel, where we see or believe in suspicious score-cards, though fret not, I will be here ensuring we have clarity if this does indeed happen. 

Want to know more about each event? Visit homeoffight.com or any of our social media accounts for more articles, fighter interviews, and plenty of more coverage. Enjoy the fights, let us know how you’ll be watching!