E. Barboza in defeat to P. Felder in the UFC 242. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufc_brasil
The Brazilian Edson Barboza was the protagonist of one of the most balanced fights in the UFC 242, held last Saturday (7), in Abu Dhabi. After three well-fought rounds, the Friborg native ended up defeated by Paul felder in the judges' split decision. Outraged, the lightweight team (up to 70,3kg) decided to file an appeal to change the result of the fight, which was booed by the public after the official announcement. 'Combate' published the athlete's manager's recent speech about what happened.
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“Our reaction was one of astonishment. Even Felder had the same reaction. We already sat down and reviewed the fight and there is no way he could have lost this fight”, declared Alex Davis.
Even recognizing the parity of the confrontation, for the 'manager', his client won the first two rounds and the controversial result was enough to impress even his opponent, who had a surprised expression when Bruce Buffer announced the North American as the winner.
“Edson won the first and second rounds. They were all very disputed, but clear. He is perplexed and uncomfortable. We have already spoken to Marc Ratner (the organization's vice president of regulatory affairs) and asked for the fight to be canceled,” said Davis.
After the release of the sheet containing the judges' scores, it can be noted that Howie Booth, one of the evaluators, ruled Barboza's victory 30-27, that is, for him, the Friborg native won every round of the fight.
However, for David Lethaby and Maria Makhmutova they checked the result for Felder. The sum of the last two was 29-28 and 30-27.
Judge Maria's decision shocked Alex even more. According to the manager, having scheduled three rounds for Paul is unusually strange. The businessman states that, although it is difficult to obtain an annulment, it is necessary for there to be a demonstration against the result.
“Although we know they don’t usually review these things, we need to talk about it. These things need to be reviewed, studied and revised for the good of everyone, both fighters and teams. We're appealing to public opinion, too. In a fight where one judge gives 30-27 to one fighter, and another judge gives 30-27 to another, it means there is something very wrong”, concluded Davis.
Edson's duel with Felder marked a repeat of a duel held in 2015. On that occasion, the Friborg native got the better of his opponent, resulting in a unanimous decision from the judges.
The new positive result marked the second consecutive defeat for the Brazilian, who had been beaten by Justin gaethje at the beginning of the year.
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