Noche UFC fight affected due to referee's error, judge costs Valentina Shevchenko title fight, Andrew Tate defends Russell Brand: MMA News Roundup
Yet another UFC event was affected by officiating error this past weekend while a controversial decision by a judge may have robbed Valentina Shevchenko of a win.
Keep up with the latest news updates with Sportskeeda's MMA News Roundup.
#3 Referee stops Noche UFC prelims fight prematurely
From the preliminary card to the main event, the UFC Fight Night card on September 16 was plagued with officiating controversies.
The prelims fight between Edgar Chairez and Daniel Lacerda was stopped early because of a judgmental error on referee Chris Tognoni's side. Towards the closing of the first round, Chairez had Lacerda in a standing guillotine choke, which the Brazilian was fighting. At one point, his arms went limp, giving Tognoni the idea that he had gone unconscious.
Lacerda immediately protested the stoppage as soon as the referee intervened, claiming he was doing alright. The same was proved after the official replay was reviewed. The fight was overturned to a No Contest.
Tognoni walked up to Lacerda to apologize and told him 'I was wrong,' with the help of a translator, according to a tweet by journalist Aaron Bronsteter.
It would have marked Chairez's first UFC win after losing the debut to Tatsuro Taira. His manager, Jason House, confirmed to MMA Fighting that they plan on appealing the overturn with the Nevada Athletic Commission.
#2 One 10-8 round stops Valentina Shevchenko from reclaiming the title
The Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko rematch in a controversial split draw, which led to the champion retaining the flyweight title.
A split draw occurs when one of the three judges scores the fight a draw, which in this case was Mike Bell. When the scorecards were revealed, it came out that Bell had scored the fifth round 10-8 in favor of Grasso. Many are pinning this to be the deciding factor in Shevchenko not winning the bout and slamming Bell for the same.
The UFC world is divided on the matter. While some are saying Grasso deserved the win, others believed 'Bullet' did enough to reclaim the belt. Conor McGregor, surprisingly, commented in favor of the draw.
"Fair draw. Valentina unlucky for sure but a draw is fair in my opinion, run it back. Viva Mexico!" he wrote.
Shevchenko herself believes she should have been given the decision, but the fact that the event was to celebrate the Mexican Independence Day influenced the scorecard. She reiterated it in the press conference that the umpires felt 'pressure' to give the decision to Grasso.
#1 Andrew Tate defends Russell Brand amid sexual assault allegations
Actor and comedian Russell Brand has recently been accused by four women, who claim they were sexually assaulted, raped, and emotionally abused by him during the peak of his Hollywood fame. The allegations have been brought forward by mainstream media giants Channel 4 and The Sunday Times, followed by a confirmation by BBC.
Andrew Tate, who himself is also accused of similar offenses, has voiced support for Brand on social media.
Brand has denied all allegations, stating that all his previous intimate relationships have been consensual. Tate has maintained a similar stance regarding the accusations against him as well.