Joe Rogan accuses Joselyne Edwards of "deliberate" illegal headbutt as grudge match with Ailin Perez gets paused
A fiery grudge match between Ailin Perez and Joselyne Edwards on the UFC 302 undercard saw Perez emerge victorious by unanimous decision, but not without controversy.
The tension between the fighters, stemming from a backstage altercation last year, spilled over into the octagon. Perez dominated the opening round before the fight took a dramatic turn in the second. Edwards landed a blatant headbutt on Perez while on the ground, sparking outrage from commentator Joe Rogan who demanded a point deduction for the "deliberate" move. Despite the clear foul, referee Gasper Oliver only issued a warning.
Speaking during the live broadcast of UFC 302, Rogan said:
“That was a headbutt… looked very deliberate. Interesting, they didn’t even take a point, I mean there’s no other thing that could have been happening from that movement.”
Check out Joe Rogan's comment below:
Unfazed by the incident, Perez floored Edwards with a spinning back fist shortly after. However, she couldn't capitalize and the fight went the distance. The judges ultimately awarded Perez the win. All three judges scored the fight 30-27, 29-28, and 30-27 in favor of Perez.
What went wrong between Joselyne Edwards and Ailin Perez at UFC PI?
A simmering social media feud between UFC bantamweights Ailin Perez and Joselyne Edwards exploded into a bodily altercation at the UFC Performance Institute in November 2023.
The two fighters initially met in September 2022 when Perez arrived in Las Vegas following her UFC debut. Edwards, already established in the city, helped Perez get settled and introduced her to coaches. However, tensions arose when Edwards felt Perez disrespected her fighting style online.
Their social media sniping escalated to a brawl when they crossed paths again at the UFC PI. Both women offer conflicting accounts of who initiated the fight, with Perez claiming Edwards attacked her out of jealousy and Edwards insisting Perez's coach sparked the physical confrontation. According to MMA Junkie, The altercation left Perez with facial stitches.