"Joe Rogan is your hero?" - Chael Sonnen reacts to UFC judge who responded to criticism from Rogan and 'DC' for controversial scorecard at UFC 277
Chael Sonnen has given his take on UFC judge Seth Fuller hitting back at the commentary team, including Joe Rogan, in the aftermath of UFC 277 back in July.
In a new episode of Beyond the Fight, Sonnen lauded Fuller for having the "courage" to score the bout differently from other judges, but was seemingly unimpressed by him calling Rogan his "hero." 'The American Gangster' said:
"Judge Fuller out in Texas had the courage to sit in his seat and score different than the other two judges did. He had the courage to see and observe something else, I like that. He came out with a statement after the fact because apparently, the commentary did not like that he turned in a 29-28 score adversely to the other two judges. He started the speech with, 'Joe Rogan, you are still my hero.' Now let me stop you right there. Joe Rogan is your hero? What do you mean by that? You mean he's got a big audience and he's got a bunch of money. You mean he seems like a cool guy? What do you mean he's your hero? Really?" [sic]
Check out the clip below:
Joe Rogan is your hero? https://t.co/n62aMoxHU7
Fuller was criticized for his scoring in the heavyweight clash between Don’Tale Mayes and Hamdy Abdelwahab at UFC 277. Abdelwahab won the contest via split decision, with Fuller being the only judge to score the bout 29-28 in Mayes' favor. Hearing the results while commentating, Rogan was very critical of the judges' scorecard stating that Fuller "needed a talking to."
In a video uploaded by Fuller to his YouTube channel, the MMA judge hit back at Rogan, claiming that he was a big fan of his, but needed to explain his stance after coming under massive scrutiny from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).
Sonnen was not too pleased with Fuller's lengthy video, considering how it went against the policy of judges speaking publicly about scoring fights. While Fuller gave his version of the story, he is sure to face the heat for his actions.
Watch Hamdy Abdelwahab after his UFC 277 win below:
Seth Fuller explains his reason for scoring the bout in favor of Don’Tale Mayes at UFC 277
Despite officials not being allowed to speak publicly, Fuller went on to talk for nearly half an hour, explaining his side of the story:
“Two other judges obviously disagreed, and I have no problem with that. I just want to show you I’m not an idiot. I’m not bad at scoring. 'I don’t not know what I’m looking at. I do know what I’m looking at.' I figure I’ve judged about 80 cards and several hundred fights themselves. I’ve judged and reffed, because I do both." [sic]
The TDLR has been criticized when it comes to their history with scoring in the past as well. In 2020, Rogan accused judge Joe Soliz of not paying attention to a fight at UFC 247.
Two years later, the 53-year-old is still not too pleased with the judging.
Watch Seth Fuller talk about the controversial UFC 277 match below: