UFC CEO Dana White criticized the judging in the main event of Noche UFC, expressing disbelief at judge Mike Bell’s controversial decision to score an inexplicable 10-8 in Round 5 in favor of flyweight champion Alexa Grasso, a decision that resulted in a split draw, allowing Grasso to retain her title.
UFC CEO Dana White expressed his disapproval with the judging in Noche UFC’s main event, which he watched during a weekend vacation. The event featured a thrilling rematch between UFC flyweight champion Alexa Grasso and former titleholder Valentina Shevchenko, drawing attention as one of 2023’s best fights. However, it was also overshadowed by controversy stemming from judge Mike Bell’s score, which unexpectedly favored Grasso with a 10-8 in Round 5. This scorecard proved to be the pivotal factor splitting the draw, enabling Grasso to retain her title.
White’s disbelief was profound at the surprising turn of events. Quoting him, “When I found out that one of the judges scored 10-8, I’m like, this guy should be f****** investigated for this. This is the craziest s*** I’ve ever seen in my life.” The UFC CEO added that there is a planned seminar by the Nevada athletic commission to address the use of 10-8 in matches. He hopes that this controversial incident can be clarified, especially given the high stakes in title fights which go beyond mere money.
Adding to White’s criticisms, the MMA community together with cageside commentators Daniel Cormier and Dominick Cruz, have openly expressed their perplexity at Bell’s unusual scorecard following the Noche UFC event. Yet, the reasoning behind Bell’s score remains opaque to White because the athletic commissions protective nature of judges. White laments, “Valentina gets dropped in [Round 2] — that’s not a 10-8 but the fifth round is a 10-8? It literally makes no sense.” He strongly censured the relaxed standards for awarding 10-8 scores, saying, “A 10-8 is an absolute ass-whooping, period.”
Following the Saturday controversy, White declared his intention to offer Shevchenko an opportunity for an immediate trilogy fight. He stated that Shevchenko’s timeline post-surgery for a broken thumb was acceptable to the UFC, and also mentioned Erin Blanchfield vs Manon Fiorot as a probable No.1 contender fight while the rest of the division awaits the outcome. This rematch, according to White, is “the right thing to do” and “the fight that needs to happen.”