UFC won’t replace ‘Fight Island’ judges despite UFC 251 controversy
The UFC Isn’t planning to replace any judges for the next “Fight Island” events, despite some controversies at UFC 251 over the weekend.
There was a bit of controversy at UFC 251, including the co-headliner title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. The reigning champion successfully defended his belt via split decision, a verdict that many thought could’ve gone the other way.
Even UFC president Dana White pointed out the “bad judging” for the said fight. One of the officials in question is Mark Collett, who had Volkanovski winning the last three rounds with an overall tally of 48-47. He was also the lone judge that scored it for Jessica Andrade in her split decision loss to Rose Namajunas.
Collett was hired to be part of the team judging all four “Fight Island” cards. And according to former referee John McCarthy, the UFC holds the right to remove him from circulation if they choose to do so.
The @ufc hired, transported, tested & paid for Mark Collet to be part of 251 and they will be paying him to be a part of the other shows on Fight Island. When your performance is not acceptable, your employer has the right to remove you from their employ. Let’s see if they do it https://t.co/FL1ExUdquK
— Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) July 13, 2020
But according to UFC president Dana White, Collett and all of the judges tapped to oversee all events at Yas Island are likely staying put.
“No, whatever we had planned for here is planned,” White told the media during a pre-fight scrum on Tuesday (transcript by MMA Junkie). “No matter who you bring in or what you do, there’s always a possibility of bad decisions.
“Did you guys see today that FanDuel, if you bet with FanDuel, they gave you your money back on Max Holloway? Yeah, it’s pretty crazy. That there goes to show you.”
UFC on ESPN 13 is headlined by top 145-pound contenders Calvin Kattar and Dan Ige. It takes place on Wednesday, July 15th.