Dana White didn’t agree with Cathal Pendred, Donald Cerrone decisions

BOSTON – It wouldn’t be a UFC card if there wasn’t at least one controversial decision to puzzle over — or in this case, two.

This time it occurred at UFC Fight Night 59 when Irishman Cathal Pendred took home a unanimous decision over Sean Spencer on the judge’s scorecards (30-27, 29-28, 30-27). The crowd on hand at the TD Garden let up a thunderous roar as the Boston-born Pendred got his arm raised. Yet fans, fighters and media on the outside couldn’t understand how Pendred won the fight, much less swept the scorecards.

Spencer hurt Pendred in the first round with a big overhand right, that left him wobbled and grasping for a single-leg. Though he survived the round, many thought that it was a clear 10-9 for Spencer. The other rounds were closer, but some believed that Spencer did enough to win the fight.

Another bout that received some scrutiny was the co-main event, in which lightweights Donald Cerrone and Benson Henderson squared off for the third time. Cerrone took home a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), though many saw the fight for Henderson, who was active with leg kicks throughout the bout.

When asked in the post-fight presser what he thought of the two decisions, UFC president Dana White said he understood the outcry.

“I had them both the other way,” he said. “I had them both the opposite of what the judges score it. But I always say, don’t leave it in the hands of the judges. If you want to win the fight, win the fight.”

BOSTON – It wouldn’t be a UFC card if there wasn’t at least one controversial decision to puzzle over — or in this case, two.

This time it occurred at UFC Fight Night 59 when Irishman Cathal Pendred took home a unanimous decision over Sean Spencer on the judge’s scorecards (30-27, 29-28, 30-27). The crowd on hand at the TD Garden let up a thunderous roar as the Boston-born Pendred got his arm raised. Yet fans, fighters and media on the outside couldn’t understand how Pendred won the fight, much less swept the scorecards.

Spencer hurt Pendred in the first round with a big overhand right, that left him wobbled and grasping for a single-leg. Though he survived the round, many thought that it was a clear 10-9 for Spencer. The other rounds were closer, but some believed that Spencer did enough to win the fight.

Another bout that received some scrutiny was the co-main event, in which lightweights Donald Cerrone and Benson Henderson squared off for the third time. Cerrone took home a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), though many saw the fight for Henderson, who was active with leg kicks throughout the bout.

When asked in the post-fight presser what he thought of the two decisions, UFC president Dana White said he understood the outcry.

“I had them both the other way,” he said. “I had them both the opposite of what the judges score it. But I always say, don’t leave it in the hands of the judges. If you want to win the fight, win the fight.”