UFC Vegas 14 ended on a nervy note for Rafael dos Anjos, as contrary to the general consensus, judge Chris Lee ruled rounds 2,3 and 4 in favor of Paul Felder.
On a night where Paul Felder seemingly had nothing to lose, as the MMA world was already in awe over his determination to fight on five days notice. He in-turn landed more clean strikes on his opponent Rafael dos Anjos, and apparently on account of that attained a debatable score of 48-47 from Judge Chris Lee.
The match went down till the 25-minute mark, and after grueling 5 rounds of intense action it seemed RDA would come out with a unanimous win, but ultimately what transpired not only startled the viewers but also evidently came out as a surprise for Paul Felder.
“I think if the division is open, I think me and @TheNotoriousMMA is the fight to make.” – @RdosAnjosMMA calls his shot after defeating Paul Felder at #UFCVegas14 🔊⬆️
Full event results: https://t.co/XzxA6hP3Vm pic.twitter.com/zr3Xx8Per5
— UFC News (@UFCNews) November 15, 2020
At the time of official decision, the very first Judge’s score read 48-47, however the subsequent two judges ruled in favour of dos Anjos, which ultimately was enough to give the Brazilian a split decision win. However, Chris Lee’s marking did not go unnoticed, as right after RDA’s hand was raised, one of the commentators of the night Michael Bisping questioned the scoring, and afterwards fighters/experts/followers from around the world also expressed their opinion on the score card via Twitter.
Twitter Reactions On Rafael Dos Anjos’ Split Decision Victory
Personally, I think this sport overreacts on judging on regular basis … but this is a time I would really, really like to hear Chris Lee’s explanation of his scorecard.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) November 15, 2020
50-45 twice and then a judge who loved the short notice story scored it 47-48. Childs play . Smdh ! I had it 50-45 , 49-46 at best but was a competitive fight due to short notice #UFCVegas14
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) November 15, 2020
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) November 15, 2020
Lol Chris Lee had Paul winning rounds 2,3&4 lmao. He gotta be on crack. #UFCVegas14 #ufc https://t.co/rpYnGcjy12
— DēRock (@DerockTheGod) November 15, 2020
Rafael Dos Anjos’ Reaction On The Marking
While it did not had any effect on the result, in the post-event presser RDA conveyed that “he got scored” after the first score that was read out by Bruce Buffer, but then took a sigh of relief after the following judges’ scores were revealed.
“There was the first judge that said that and I was scared, and then I won the second round. Second judge said 50-45, then I was kinda uhh. I thought I won every round. I was able to control and to do my game and secure the win.”
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