Dana White reacts to "atrocious" judging at UFC 307 rewarding Julianna Pena with title reclamation, weighs in on controversial refereeing
Dana White did not hold back after a controversial night of judging at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City, where Julianna Peña reclaimed her bantamweight title in a decision that left many fans and experts baffled.
Peña’s victory, although dominant in parts, drew skepticism, as some believed her opponent, Raquel Pennington, had done enough to retain the belt. White, visibly frustrated during the post-fight press conference, criticized the judges. He expressed his disappointment with the scorecards and said:
“The judging tonight was atrocious, I felt like I was at a boxing match in Ireland tonight.” [2:56]
Judging wasn’t the only issue on White’s radar. A controversial moment during the fight between Cesar Almeida and Ihor Potieria also caught the attention of UFC’s senior vice president of regulatory affairs, Marc Ratner.
Referee Dave Seljestad, who officiated the bout, came under scrutiny for questionable calls. White added that Ratner immediately expressed his displeasure:
"I missed that... but [Marc Ratner] walked in right after it happened and was like yeah, that ain't happening again tonight." [5:04]
Check out Dana White's comments below:
Dana White addresses controversy surrounding Mario Bautista vs. Jose Aldo fight
The main card bout between Mario Bautista and Jose Aldo also sparked controversy, particularly over Bautista's tactic of pinning Aldo against the fence. Conor McGregor was quick to voice his frustration on social media, criticizing what he perceived as stalling and calling for a clock to limit inactivity.
Dana White responded to the uproar, acknowledging the need for referees to be more active in such situations:
"I always think that the referees should be more active on that, 100 percent, especially when somebody keeps doing it to stall... When you can tell that the guy definitely doesn’t want to stand and strike and just wants to stall against the fence, yes, the refs, that’s their job. When they see it continually happening and that the guy is not trying to win the fight, then you keep breaking them up.” [6:12]
Check out Dana White's comments below: