UFC judge angers fans, Dana White snubs Islam Makhachev, Dustin Poirier hints at retirement: MMA News Roundup
One judge infuriated the MMA community with controversial scoring in the co-main event of UFC 302. In the post-fight press conference, Dana White offered his thoughts on Islam Makhachev's place on the pound-for-pound list.
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UFC judge Dave Tirelli skewered online for split decision
Dave Tirelli was the dissenting judge in the split decision scorecard for Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa at UFC 302. It was heavily criticized on MMA social media with fighters and fans scorching Tirelli for the questionable judgment.
Tirelli had scored the fight 46-49 in Costa's favor, whereas the two other judges - Sal D'Amato and Chris Lee - scored it 49-46 and 50-45 in Strickland's favor.
One fan wrote, "Dave Tirelli should be in prison," while another said, "Fire that judge right now." MMA journalist The Schmo aka Dave Schmulenson wrote on X, "The scorecards making no sense."
Read more reactions here.
Dana White mirrored the MMA community's sentiment during the press conference, blasting the judge and demanding he be removed from UFC judging in the future:
"Insane. That guy should never [judge] a big fight again. They should kick him back to the minor leagues and let him work on his judging. It's unbelievable. I mean, how anybody who isn't an absolute f*****g lunatic could call that fight a split decision. I don't even know what to say about that, it's insane."
Tirelli was previously criticized for dissenting in the Alexandre Pantoja vs. Steve Erceg fight as well.
Dana White still wouldn't consider Islam Makhachev P4P No. 1
Islam Makhachev may have solidified himself as one of the greatest lightweights of all time in MMA, but that does not mean he gets to become the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter on Dana White's list.
During the UFC 302 post-fight press conference, the UFC CEO acknowledged Makhachev's greatness openly but refused to rank him as the P4P greatest of all time. That position still belongs to Jon Jones, as per White.
He said:
"I think he is incredible. I don't think he is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. For anybody to call Islam the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world when Jon Jones is still f***ing fighting, it's nuts! [The person in charge] shouldn't be ranking the pound-for-pound or doing any of the f***ing rankings ever, if that's what you really think."
Makhachev's last three opponents - Charles Oliveira, Alexander Volkanovski, and Dustin Poirier - have all held spots in the top 10 UFC pound-for-pound rankings. The top spot is currently held by the Dagestani followed by Jones at the No. 2 spot.
An emotional Dustin Poirier says this could be it
Dustin Poirier had been hinting that win or lose, UFC 302 could be the last fight of his MMA career. With the undisputed lightweight belt eluding him once again, 'The Diamond' once again hinted at the possibility during the post-fight octagon interview:
"I know I could compete with the best of these guys. It's just like - If I do fight again, what am I fighting for? Just to fight? I've done that 50 times. I got a little girl I love and... I think this could be it, honestly Joe [Rogan]."
As an emotional Poirier expressed gratitude to his family for their love and support, the camera panned toward his daughter, Parker Noelle, who was seen crying. Ever a loving father, Poirier immediately jumped to consoling her:
"Daddy's fine. I love you so much. I'm so proud of you. We alright baby. Always chase your dreams. It's a beautiful thing."
If Poirer truly does retire, he would be leaving behind a career to be proud of and carry with him a legacy to be even prouder.