Controversy continues to surround Saturday’s main event at UFC 86, where the original Ultimate Fighter, Forrest Griffin,became the new UFC Light-Heavyweight champion, defeating Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson via a unanimous judges decision.
The judging in this fight is what is causing the uproar, as many analysts, including yours truly, scored the bout in nearly polar opposite fashion. The Nevada State judges unanimously agreed that Griffin won the fight, which is raising many eyebrows in the industry.
While Griffin did earn a 10-8 score for round two, the only other round he may have won, was round 5…and you could even argue this round was scooped up by Rampage. No matter which way I scored this bout, I had it either 48-47 for Rampage, or at worst, 47-47, if you give Forest the 10-8 round, therefore making this bout a draw. How the judges saw it differently, especially one of them scoring it 49-46 for Griffin is beyond me.
Bottom line, a rematch is in order, and should Rampage defeat Griffin, this promises to be an historic trilogy that the UFC can take right to the bank.
Good news and bad news for Patrick Cote on Saturday night: the good news is that he defeated Riccardo Almeida earning him a shot at the middleweight title. The bad news: that’s a date with Anderson Silva, the man who has mopped up the division, anialating every middleweight who has challenged him in the Octagon.
