"Flat wrong" - Chael Sonnen and Aljamain Sterling react to the judging and stat count in Jared Cannonier vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen and reigning bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling aren't happy with the judging in the main event of the recently concluded UFC Fight Night. In the headline contest, Jared Cannonier edged Kelvin Gastelum to a decision victory after five rounds. All judges scored the fight 48-47 in favor of 'The Killa Gorilla.'
Although Cannonier won the fight by unanimous decision, many fighters, experts, and fans do not seem to agree with the judges on this one. According to Sonnen, the scoring in the fight amounted to "an egregious misunderstanding of the unified rules" and that Kelvin Gastelum should have been declared the winner instead.
"Flat wrong," wrote Chael Sonnen.
Aljamain Sterling criticized the people in charge of the stat-counting system and judging quality in the UFC. He claimed that he is amazed to see how some underqualified people take the most important calls in fights.
"It’s actually mind blowing how little respect such a dangerous sport gets when it comes to high profile positions: Stat counting, referring, judging, etc. You literally need the bare minimum to get into any of those positions. What other sport is like this? I seriously dont know," wrote Sterling on Twitter following the headliner of UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Gastelum.
Did Kelvin Gastelum get robbed at UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Gastelum?
According to some, Kelvin Gastelum should have won the fight because he pushed the action and held the center of the octagon while managing to land more significant strikes than his opponent. MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz also claimed that Gastelum should have won the fight.
Although Kelvin Gastelum was the aggressor and landed more strikes, Cannonier's shots inarguably did more damage to his opponent in the back-and-forth slugfest. Gastelum's failure to land a significant takedown despite five attempts and getting knocked down in the third round might have contributed to Cannonier getting the judges' nod at the end.