Australian commission issues statement on UFC 305 judge removal after heavily controversial scorecard
Tai Tuivasa fought Jairzinho Rozenstruik in a heavyweight clash at UFC 305 in Australia earlier this month. Rozenstruik dominated the three-round bout and was expected to outpoint Tuivasa on the judges' scorecards. While two judges gave him scores of 30-27 and 29-18, third judge Howie Booth shockingly scored the fight 30-27 in Tuivasa's favor, resulting in Rozenstruik winning via split decision.
Booth's scoring unsurprisingly caused an uproar among MMA fans who were watching the event, and he was relieved of his duties for the night before the co-main event, which he was scheduled to judge. Given the unusual turn of events, the chairman of the Combat Sports Commission of Western Australia, Bob Kucera, recently addressed Booth's removal and issued an official statement.
In a statement issued to MMA Fighting, Kucera confirmed that due process was followed regarding Booth's removal and stated:
"To ensure the best outcome for the event and the sport, the Combat Sports Commission of Western Australia (CSC) supported a change to the judging assignments during the UFC 305 event. Due process was followed in reaching this decision which included consultation with the Head Official. Mr Booth remains a registered official with the CSC." [H/t: MMA fighting]
Michael Bisping slams Howie Booth for controversial UFC 305 scoring
After the scores for the Jairzinho Rozenstruik-Tai Tuivasa were announced, Michael Bisping expressed his dismay live on stream and slammed judges like Howie Booth for negatively affecting fighters' livelihoods.
During a UFC 305 watch party hosted on his YouTube channel, the former middleweight champion animatedly sounded off on Booth and called for errant judges to be fired. He said:
''Anybody from the street, show them that fight, and they would tell you who was winning. I'm a big fan of Tai Tuivasa, so I take no pleasure in saying this, Jairzinho Rozenstruik just beat him from start to finish."
Bisping continued:
"These judges are costing people their livelihood, title shots, money in the bank. These judges that come out with insane scorecards like that, they need to be fired. They should not be doing this job...Any man on the street, woman, man, old lady, a child watching that fight can say who won. That was straight-up bullsh*t.