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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight veteran, Dhiego Lima, captured a split decision victory over local hero Luke Jumeau at the UFC 243 pay-per-view (PPV) event on ESPN+ last Sat. night (Oct. 5, 2016) inside Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
A decision he believes should have been unanimous.
That’s why Lima will be filing an appeal with the Victoria Sport and Recreation board, according to a report from MMA Junkie, asking the commission to account for the judge who scored the fight for Jumeau in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
“Once again, this exposes a fundamental flaw in MMA judging and structure,” manager Alex Davis said. “The question again looms: Who are these people? What are their credentials? How did they get into such an important position, as to judge fights that affect these hard-working athletes’ lives and careers? These questions cannot stop being asked. These decisions must be confronted for a better MMA.”
Or just get rid of judges altogether.
Most of the feedback on social media has been negative, but Davis — who also filed an appeal for Edson Barboza in the wake of UFC 242 — insists that he’s not being petty and explained how it’s not right for him to ignore a problem just because it landed in his favor.
As far as Lima, he should be satisfied either way, as the Jumeau victory marked his third straight. The last time the Brazilian was able to capture three wins in a row outside The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) was on the regional circuit back in late 2013.