UFC president Dana White said that he disagreed with the judges in the Dan Ige fight, saying that he scored the bout in favor of Edson Barboza.
Ige won a highly controversial split decision, with the judges awarding him the bout 29-28, 28-29, and 29-28 over Barboza, who also dropped a highly-scrutinized decision to Paul Felder in his last fight at UFC 242. Many pros reacted to the decision on social media, with the majority of those commenting saying they believed Barboza had done enough to beat Ige. Count White among those who thought that Barboza won.
Speaking to reporters at the UFC Florida post-fight press conference, White said that he believed Barboza should have earned the judges’ decision.
“I had Barboza winning that fight,” White said. “Barboza looked good. He looked strong.”
The first round was all Barboza, as he was able to knock Ige down and land a number of significant strikes on his opponent. It was a clear round for the Brazilian, and all three judges gave it to him 10-9. The third round was all Ige, as he was able to land a key takedown on Barboza late in the fight. All three judges scored the round 10-9 for Ige.
The fight came down to how you scored the second round. Ige landed some big shots early in the round and seemed to be in control of the round up until the last minute, but Barboza finished the round on top and did a lot of damage with his ground and pound. Although Ige started the round off well, it seemed as though Barboza stole the round back at the end 10-9. At least that’s what White and many fans felt.
Ultimately two of the judges believed that Ige did enough to win the second round, and that’s why he was awarded the split decision. For Ige, it’s his sixth win in a row and over the biggest name of his career to date. He seems destined for a big fight his next time out. Barboza, meanwhile, has now lost his last three fights, though he could easily be on a two-fight win streak had the last two judges’ decisions gone the other way.
Do you agree with the way Dana White scored the Dan Ige vs. Edson Barboza fight?