Belal Muhammad strongly defends UFC judges scoring split decision for Amir Albazi
Amir Albazi received unwavering support from Belal Muhammad amidst the widespread outrage and criticism surrounding his split decision victory over Kai Kara-France at UFC Vegas 74.
Fans and MMA enthusiasts were captivated by the thrilling five-round showdown between Kai Kara-France and Amir Albazi at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. However, when the official decision was revealed, Albazi emerged as the victor via split decision. Judges Chris Lee and Sal D'Amato awarded the bout to Albazi with scores of 48-47, while Mike Bell scored it 48-47 in favor of Kara-France.
The fight's result ignited the ire of the MMA community, especially catching the attention of Kai Kara-France's teammate, Israel Adesanya. Taking to Twitter, Adesanya vented his frustration with strong language, condemning the judges and advocating for their removal.
The controversy surrounding the judges' scorecards in the Kara-France vs. Albazi fight has reignited the conversation regarding accountability and transparency in judging decisions, with Adesanya proposing post-fight interviews with the judges to hold them accountable for their decisions.
I tweeted that before even seeing the scorecards because I knew them two will fuck it up!! Hoooow many times will they rob athletes of their moments of glory, if their money, their livelihood for their family. Fuuuuuuuck them cunts, they need to expire quickly and go. Mike Bell… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/aCRG646b1i
Start interviewing the judges after fights.
Hold them accountable for their work.
@stylebender Giving Amir rd 4 is just insane
How do you not give KKF the 4th? twitter.com/arielhelwani/s…
Been saying this for years. Everyone in this sport has to face the music - except the ones with the most power. Insane. Only in combat sports do the officials get to escape with no accountability. Just explain your thought process. Let’s start there. twitter.com/stylebender/st…
3-2 Kara France that’s the score #UFCVegas74
In spite of the online backlash, top-ranked UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad remained an ardent supporter of the scorecards, claiming that it was a close fight. Muhammad took to Twitter to launch a series of tweets to defend the decision:
"There wasn’t more damage from Kai it was close relax haters."
"There was no shots that rocked either guy..neither guy was cut..I’m saying the “damage” didn’t show on either"
"Flyweights had Moreno and figuredo fight 4 times maybe that division is just meant to have a bunch of close fights because all the fighters are so well rounded."
Check out the tweets below:
There wasn’t more damage from kai it was close relax haters
There was no shots that rocked either guy..neither guy was cut..I’m saying the “damage” didn’t show on either twitter.com/jjthegoatksifa…
Flyweights had Moreno and figuredo fight 4 times maybe that division is just meant to have a bunch of close fights because all the fighters are so well rounded
Amir Albazi opens up about controversial split-decision victory over Kai Kara-France at UFC Vegas 74
Amir Albazi's remarkable five-round performance against Kai Kara-France in the main event of UFC Vegas 74 was lauded by many in the MMA community. However, despite the admiration, there were many who disagreed with the judges' decision to hand Albazi the split-decision victory.
Following the victory, Albazi wasted no time expressing his desire for a title opportunity despite the controversial nature of the outcome. He demanded a crack at the flyweight championship against the victor of the upcoming co-main event at UFC 290 between Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja.
Addressing the controversial split-decision victory in the UFC post-show on ESPN MMA, Amir Albazi stated:
"I knew I was doing more than him. He kind of tried to play a bit more defense. But with the judges nowadays, to be honet I had no clue.... I pulled another win and I did a bit more than him and onto the next one now."
Catch Amir Albazi's comments below: