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Licensed judges in Nevada on Wednesday reviewed rounds from three fights at Noche UFC, including the controversial fifth round of Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko 2.
Nevada Athletic Commission executive director Jeff Mullen convened the video teleconference after a firestorm of controversy in the wake of judge Mike Bell’s 10-8 score for Grasso, which led to a draw being declared and Grasso retaining the flyweight belt this past Saturday in Las Vegas.
“I think we’ve tried to establish what the right answer is on these rounds,” Mullen said during the Zoom meeting. “All of these rounds we went over today have a correct answer, and an incorrect answer. That’s what we’re trying to establish. We’re trying to draw a clear line, and hopefully everybody sees what the clear lines were that we drew from these particular rounds.”
Two of the three judges who scored Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 — Sal D’Amato and Junichiro Kamijo — were present at the meeting and weighed in on their scoring decisions. At Noche UFC, D’Amato scored the bout 48-47 for Shevchenko, while Kamijo scored the bout 48-47 for Grasso. Bell was not present during the meeting; a previous scheduling conflict prevented him from attending, Mullen told MMA Fighting.
The regulator defended Bell’s judging record while also making it clear he did not agree with the 10-8 in favor of Grasso.
“Mike is one of the very best judges in the world,” Mullen said during the meeting. “His scores over the last five years that he’s been here have been some of the most consistent scores that we’ve had. However, I do not agree with his score on this round.”
Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2 was the final round to be reviewed. Judges also took in Noche UFC’s opener, Josefine Knutsson def. Marnic Mann, which ended in a lopsided decision for Knutsson via scores of 30-24, 30-25 and 30-27. At the event, Bell awarded Knutsson a 10-8 score in every round, while D’Amato gave her 10-8s in Rounds 2 and 3.
Judges also reviewed the first round of Loopy Godinez vs. Elise Reed; Bell and judge Bryan Miner awarded Godinez a 10-8 score, while D’Amato awarded her a 10-9.
Before watching the fights, judges reviewed the criteria for a 10-8 round, which weighs factors known as dominance, damage (also known as impact), and duration in awarding the score. Judges are required to give the score when all three factors are present in a round and “typically” include damage if considering the score with only one other factor present.
It was also emphasized that a fighter with “little to no offensive output” relative to their opponent and “two of the three Ds, it should be normal for you as judges to consider awarding that losing fighter an 8 instead of a 9. They have not done anything to earn themselves a 9.”
The fifth round of Shevchenko vs. Grasso 2 featured a wild swing in momentum when Shevchenko missed a throw and wound up with Grasso on her back. The flyweight champ landed several heavy shots and then threatened a rear-naked choke, also cranking on the ex-champ’s face with her forearm.
Judges and regulators agreed that Shevchenko was leading the frame before the sudden shift in momentum. Mullen, however, sought to clarify how that didn’t necessarily justify awarding Grasso the round by a wide margin, or 10-8.
“You’ve got a minute-and-a-half of domination on the ground there, so there was enough happening in that minute-and-a-half to overtake Shevchenko, the lead she’d established in the first three-and-a-half minutes. But just to be clear, when you have somebody who’s got a comfortable lead like that, it’s really hard to go back the other way to a 10-8.
“We’re just trying to get on the same page. If somebody is well ahead, it would take an incredible amount of damage to swing it back to 10-8. Now, if Grasso had been winning up to that minute-and-a-half and then did what she did the last minute-and-a-half, that would be a 10-8. Or even if the fight was almost even, I could see some people going to 10-8. But Shevchenko had a clear lead. So that’s too far to go back the other way to a 10-8. …
“I know I’m talking about things that are obvious now … but we have to verbalize this. We have to get on the same page. We have to understand why it is the way it is, and what point it tips back over.”
UFC CEO Dana White intends to rebook the flyweight title fight; he blasted Bell’s score on Tuesday and said the veteran judge should be “investigated.” The trilogy’s timing could depend on the health of Shevchenko, who revealed a broken thumb suffered in the bout’s opening round.
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