UFC exec breaks silence on removing MMA judge after controversial 30-27 scorecard at UFC 305
The second fight on the UFC 305 main card has piqued fan interest after one of the three official octagon-side judges put forth a rather controversial scorecard. The matchup in question is the heavyweight bout that saw Australia's Tai Tuivasa face Suriname's Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
Reports soon emerged that the judge was taken off the card thereafter because of the controversial scorecard.
During the UFC 305 live broadcast, play-by-play commentator Jon Anik announced that the judge had been relieved of his duties for the event's remainder. UFC executive David Shaw aka Dave Shaw has now addressed the incident. The organization's 'Head of International and Content' fielded multiple questions from the media at the UFC 305 post-fight press conference.
In response to a reporter asking about what transpired, Shaw stated:
"Anik announced that he [Howie Booth] was removed on the broadcast? Yeah ... So, they probably spoke to Dave Lewis. But don't forget that the Western Australia Combat Sports Commission, they're the lead committee here. So, they are responsible for those decisions. And I guess someone made the call on, you know, the performance was probably not worth keeping them involved for the rest of the night. So..."
When asked if he feels judges should similarly be held accountable at other events as well, Shaw replied by saying:
"Yeah. It's good checks and balances. I think everyone needs to be held to a high standard. It doesn't matter if, like, if I don't do my job, or you don't do your job, maybe it's good to sit on the bench for a while, and reconsider the work, and try to figure out how to get back on track and do a better job next time. I think just, generally, in life, it's a decent principle. But it's not for me to say whether it was right or wrong for the commission."
Check out Shaw's comments below:
Watch the press conference segment below (Shaw's comments at 4:26):
UFC 305: A look at the Tai Tuivasa vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik scorecards
Heading into UFC 305, which transpired at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, on Aug. 17, 2024 (Aug. 18 local time in Australia), Australia's own Tai Tuivasa was on a four-fight losing streak. Meanwhile, Tuivasa's opponent Jairzinho Rozenstruik was 2-2 in his past four octagon appearances.
The UFC 305 heavyweight showdown witnessed Rozenstruik thoroughly outwork his foe. The official verdict was a split decision victory for Rozenstruik. Many indicated that though the right fighter won, any judge scoring that matchup for 'Bam Bam' was unjustifiable.
Judge Charlie Keech scored round one as 10-9 for Tuivasa, and rounds two and three and 10-9 each for Rozenstruik; handing the Surinamese fighter the fight with a 29-28 score. Judge David Lethaby had all rounds 10-9 for Rozenstruik, giving him the fight via a 30-27 scorecard.
In stark contrast, Judge Howie Booth scored the three rounds 10-9 each for Tuivasa, giving him a score of 30-27.
Check out the official scorecards for the UFC 305 fight below:
As reported by Kevin Iole, Howie Booth was to judge the UFC 305 co-headlining match, a flyweight bout between Kai Kara-France and Steve Erceg, but was pulled from it after he scored the Rozenstruik-Tuivasa fight.