“Because of the meanness of one judge” - Valentina Shevchenko's sister fumes over Noche UFC split draw, blasts Mike Bell for controversial 10-8 round
Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso put together an all-time classic this past weekend at Noche UFC, which took place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The rematch between the pair was an extremely closely contested bout and a fair case can be made in favor of either fight winning. There was, however, a lot of controversy that pertained to the scorecards.
This prompted an emotional response from Antonina Shevchenko, Valentina's sister, who took to Instagram to say.
"Valentina you are our champion! @bulletvalentina I am so sorry that instead of a deserved victory, the result of the fight was a “Draw”. Which makes me terribly angry and sad! That because of the meanness of one judge, who scored 5th round as 10-8, today you are not with the belt, as it should be!"
Antonina, who is also a UFC fighter, further went on to add:
"I can’t understand where this score came out for him. When half of the round you outstriked your opponent with the hands, and half of the round she was taking your back and sitting there and holding the position. Yes, it was a control time, but no damage. So, 10-8 in round like it?? Unfortunately, the judge could not and will not be able to explain his decision. And many martial arts experts around the world have many questions for him."
On an Instagram post, she went on to call Valentina Shevchenko her 'hero,' and brought to light that Valentina had 'broke' her thumb during the contest. Furthermore, she pointed out the 'illegal' knees that Grasso landed.
Check out her post and entire statement here:
Alexa Grasso retained her title against Valentina Shevchenko as a result of the 10-8 round
The judges scorecards for the Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko rematch saw Mike Bell ruling it a 47-47, Sal D'Amato scoring it 48-47 in favor of Shevchenko and Junichiro Kamijo declaring it 48-47 in favor of Grasso.
Check out some of the highlights here:
Mike Bell, however, inexplicably had the fifth and final round a 10-8 for Grasso. While one can make a case that Grasso won the round by virtue of the grappling positions she had, it seems highly improbable that she would merit a 10-8. Shevchenko outstruck Grasso, but the latter secured the back and got close to submitting Shevchenko.
Check out the scorecards here: