Last night, in the main event of the UFC’s return to Portland, Oregon, John Lineker and John Dodson engaged in a memorable, five-round battle. Over the course of the fight, which was contested entirely on the feet, both brick-fisted bantamweights had their moments.
In the end however, Lineker walked away with a hard-fought split decision – an outcome that is likely to be debated for some time.
In the moments after the fight, many of the game’s top fighters took to Twitter to offer their thoughts on the affair. While many of these fighter reactions were positive, the majority were not, as many took issue with the judges’ decision and suggested it should have gone the other way.
How intense was that #mainevent! @ufc #UFCPortland #johnvsjohn @johnlinker #handsofstone #itsmyturnnow #titlefight
— Julianna Peña (@VenezuelanVixen) October 2, 2016
The 125 pounders making noise at 135 i love it.
advertisement – continue reading below— Tim Elliott (@TElliott125) October 2, 2016
Lineker's chin is unreal. Mark Hunt in his prime unreal. #UFCPortland
— The Mane Event™ (@EliasTheodorou) October 2, 2016
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Damn, Idk about this one. 3 to 2, for either guy wouldn't be wrong. #UFCPortland
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) October 2, 2016
Wow, what a fight @JohnDodsonMMA. Much #respect man. UR one of the toughest dudes not only in this division but in the whole UFC. #Champ
— Bryan Caraway (@BryanCaraway) October 2, 2016
I totally agree with the judges @johnlineker is definitely top contender. #UFCPortland
— Roan Jucao (@jucao) October 2, 2016
https://twitter.com/nickdiaz209/status/782453073109061633
@JohnDodsonMMA won with the head kicks
— Diego Sanchez UFC (@DiegoSanchezUFC) October 2, 2016
https://twitter.com/EdgarGarcia170/status/782451764092104704
Dodson clearly more effective imo… 3-2, 4-1 @JohnDodsonMMA #UFCPortland
— Zachary Makovsky (@ZachFunSize) October 2, 2016
Terrible robo a @JohnDodsonMMA win very good plan a good fight crazy judges
— ninjacannetti (@ninjacannetti) October 2, 2016
— Cub Swanson (@CubSwanson) October 2, 2016
Great fight shit decision https://t.co/lqNCyloC15
— Stephan Bonnar (@StephanBonnar) October 2, 2016
Some fighters also took issue with Dodson’s game plan, which relied heavily on footwork and circling away from the forward-charging Lineker. This strategy drew the ire of one Nick Diaz in particular, who was infamously foiled by a similar strategy from Carlos Condit back in 2012.
https://twitter.com/nickdiaz209/status/782450978524057601
No just simply means the guy running can't fight https://t.co/DaOLzOqmac
— nick diaz (@nickdiaz209) October 2, 2016
You don't know what your looking at https://t.co/a6tDiUTGAh
— nick diaz (@nickdiaz209) October 2, 2016
.Looks like Jackson Wink went with the @CarlosCondit vs @nickdiaz209 strategy with @JohnLineker vs @JohnDodsonMMA
— Stephan Bonnar (@StephanBonnar) October 2, 2016
With this outcome, which is clearly not a popular one among many fighters, Lineker moves to 4-0 as a bantamweight, having bested Francisco Rivera, Rob Font, Michael McDonald, and now Dodson since moving up to the division from flyweight.
Dodson, meanwhile, is now 1-1 since making his own move from flyweight to bantamweight, having debuted in the division with an abrupt TKO win over Manny Gamburyan. That said, the two-time flyweight title contender is unlikely to lose much ground in the division, given the competitive and debatable nature of his this decision loss to Lineker.
Who do you think won Portland’s main event? Did you agree with the decision? Sound off in the comments, PENN nation!