Now the proud holder of the longest unbeaten streak under the banner of the UFC, Russian challenger Rinat Fakhretdinov turned in a controversial unanimous decision win over Carlos Leal in their UFC 308 preliminary card opener — to the claims of much-scrutiny from critics and fans alike.
Fakhretdinov, who most recently featured earlier this year in a close split decision win over Danish veteran, Nicolas Dalby in Saudi Arabia, improving his unbeaten Octagon run to six straight fights following today’s win over Leal.
However, across social media, a host of fans and reporters within the mixed martial arts community alike voiced their displeasure with the victory awarded to the Russian by the sitting judges.
“Dana, they’re making a mockery of the organization you’ve built by rigging fights every single time in Abu Dhabi,” A user posted on X. “You have to FIX THIS. Carlos Leal dominated Rinat Fakhretdinov.”
“You know when they do that thing where they tell a judge to f*ck off halfway through the event?” Oscar Willis posted. “Let’s do that.”
“Presented with the major caveat that stats do not tell the definitive story of a fight and that scoring R1 for Rinat Fakhretdinov is clearly bad judging.”