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Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Add Dana White to the list of people who apparently feel like Max Holloway got robbed in his rematch against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 251.

There wasn’t much controversy in the way the main event judging at UFC 251 played out … two judges not giving Jorge round 1 is kinda shocking, but it didn’t change the very clear cut overall results. But boy oh boy are people heated about how the co-main between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway got judged.

Walking into the decision, Michael Bisping and Jon Anik had buttered Max Holloway up as a clear 3-2 or even 4-1 round winner. So when Volkanovski took a 48-47, 48-47, 47-48 split decision (watch the highlights here), there was quite a reaction from everyone watching at home.

And some important people on Fight Island as well.

“Listen, man. You can’t leave it,” Dana White declared during the post-fight press conference. “You can’t leave it to these guys. We’ve got some bad judges. We’ve got some bad judging and has Max been in here yet? I’m sure Max is devastated. I don’t know, did anybody here score it for Volkanovski? Anybody have it for Volkanovski? Nobody in the media? I don’t know. We’ll have to figure it out.”

“Looks like we gotta tighten up our refs and judges here at Fight Island,” he added later.

To be fair to Volkanovski, the fight was much closer than it initially may have looked. Most agree after mourning the untimely end of the “Blessed” era that Max took rounds 1 and 2 while Alex took rounds 4 and 5. The whole thing hinges on what you think of round three, which was pretty statistically even. So whichever way you see it, it’s hard to call it a full on robbery. Not that it stopped anyone on Twitter from throwing around the term.

The overall consensus from the media was indeed that Holloway should have taken things, though. MMA Decisions tabulates media scores across the internet and 18 of us big brained bosses gave it to Max 48-47 while only 9 had Volkanovski 48-47. We’re not going to disagree with Dana White on the need for better Fight Island reffing and judging. That finish with Petr Yan and Jose Aldo was horrific to watch (but if you want to watch it, watch it here), and the one judge who scored it for Holloway somehow gave him the 5th round. So even the one who got it right … still objectively got it wrong.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Here’s what you may have missed from last night!

Kamaru Usman is one of the best fighters on the planet right now.

Feel free to complain that his victory over Jorge Masvidal was boring (watch highlights), but … Boo-hoo! That doesn’t at all contradict the above statement. Usman methodically wore down one of the most experienced and explosive contenders in his division until he was hardly a threat. Really, Usman handled him similar to how he did every other opponent who’s stepped into the cage with him.

The sole exception is Colby Covington, but Usman broke his jaw and knocked him out, so I’m not sure that’s a positive change in direction.

When dealing with a dominant champion like Usman, we’re forced to consider the small victories his contenders achieve. The aforementioned Covington, for example, landed some good left kicks to the thigh and body. What did Masvidal do? Fire off a ton of left kicks from Southpaw stance!

Collecting and adding these little flaws or openings together is often the path through which a long-time roost-ruler is dethroned. Figure out the potential path to victory, then find the athlete best able to walk that track.

Jorge Masvidal still might be that guy.

Masvidal only gave up five takedowns on 16 attempts. That means Masvidal defended at a better percentage than Tyron Woodley or Rafael dos Anjos, and he did so while willingly backing into the fence and giving up poor position. In the clinch, Masvidal pummeled and escaped on numerous occasions and landed hard knees and elbows back, too. At distance, “Gamebred” landed some seriously hard strikes in the first and fifth rounds.

Masvidal just couldn’t keep his energy up. Seeing as he accepted the bout on short-notice — SIX DAYS! — against arguably the sport’s best grinder, it’s hard to see how he possibly could have kept up with Usman.

Masvidal has been guilty in the past of relaxing for too long in bad positions, but that didn’t seem the case last night. Instead, he was just too tired to do anything effective. When he did break free, Masvidal visibly struggled to put pop behind his punches. He wasn’t being lazy … he was dead-tired.

Fatigue was Masvidal’s downfall more than any skill deficit, and fatigue is conquered through training. Given a full camp, “Gamebred” likely could have extended his first round success later into the fight. He denied the Usman onslaught better than most anyone else, and he did it while in iffy shape without his head coach (details).

Leon Edwards and Gilbert Burns are top-notch contenders who also present threats to Usman. However, we shouldn’t completely rule out Masvidal’s future chances based on a short-notice loss that actually vindicated some of his advantages.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 251: “Usman vs Masvidal” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) staged the UFC 251 ESPN+-streamed pay-per-view (PPV) event last night (Sat., July 11, 2020) on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, the first of four events this month on “Fight Island.” The main event saw Welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, defend his 170-pound strap against Jorge Masvidal, dominating him for five rounds to earn a clear-cut unanimous decision win (see it again here). The co-main event saw Featherweight kingpin, Alexander Volkanovski, successfully defend his title against former champion, Max Holloway, in what proved to be a highly-controversial decision (highlights). Petr Yan, meanwhile, stopped Jose Aldo in the fifth round to become the new Bantamweight champion (video replay here).

Biggest Winner: Kamaru Usman

Usman just keeps on winning, earning his sixteenth straight victory to remain undefeated inside the Octagon (12-0) after dominating Masvidal from pillar to post. While I’m sure many will use Masvidal’s six-day notice as reason for his lack of output, that won’t discredit what “The Nigerian Nightmare” did. Coming into the bout, most already knew Usman’s best bet was to simply out-wrestle “Gamebred” and avoid a striking war. And he did that to perfection, taking down the Miami legend at-will and controlling him on the mat throughout most of their 25-minute contest. While Masvidal did show flashes of good takedown defense, “The Nigerian Nightmare’s” relentlessness ultimately proved superior. Once it was over, Usman looked like he could go another five rounds, as his gas tank proved to be another big weapon in the fight. With two title defenses under his belt, Usman should start getting the respect a true champion deserves, as his resume over his last five bouts is truly impressive, scoring wins over Demian Maia, Rafael dos Anjos, Tyron Woodley, Colby Covington and now Masvidal. With bragging rights over “Gamebred” in his back pocket, don’t be too surprised if Usman’s the next man to hit UFC up for a pay raise.

Runner Up: Petr Yan

Yan once claimed that UFC wasn’t interested in having another Russian champion on its roster alongside Khabib Nurmagomedov. While I highly doubt that’s the case, it doesn’t matter much now as the promotion has two tough-as-nails Russians holding titles after “No Mercy” knocked out Jose Aldo in the fifth and final round to earn the vacant Bantamweight strap. It’s truly been a meteoric rise for Yan, who made his Octagon debut just two short years ago, winning all seven of his fights with the promotion to bring his win steak to 10. And the scary part about it is — at least for all the combatants competing at 135 pounds — Yan hasn’t really looked vulnerable during his stint with the promotion. Sure, Aldo tagged him a few times with some nice shots and body kicks, but Yan made the proper adjustments to eventually score a late finish over the MMA legend. But with the title around his waist now, Yan will have a huge target on his back, though I’m sure he welcomes the pressure and the challenges that come with being a UFC champ.

Honorable Mention: Jiri Prochazka

Upon first glance, you wouldn’t have been able to tell that Prochazka was making his Octagon debut last night, as the towering 27-year old looked like a long-time Octagon veteran against Volkan Oezdemir. Indeed, Prochazka was calm, cool and collected from the jump, tagging “No Time” at-will early on. And while he did show brief signs of being a bit reckless, his striking power proved to be on point, knocking out Oezdemir cold with a solid right hand, giving him his eleventh straight win. The performance also scored him a nice $50,000 post-fight bonus check. While it’s obviously too soon to start singing his praises on the highest note, Prochazka showed that the hype is real by taking out a former 205-pound title contender in impressive fashion in his first-ever UFC fight.

Biggest loser: Paige VanZant

VanZant decided to roll the dice and bet on herself, opting to not sign an extension with UFC going into her final fight against Amanda Ribas on “Fight Island” in hopes of securing the bag in free agency. It was a move that ultimately didn’t work out for “12 Gauge,” as she was submitted by Ribas midway through the first round (recap), never really getting the chance to pop off any offense. It’s a tough loss for the former “Dancing With The Stars” competitor because the defeat definitely cost her some leverage at the negotiating table. But VanZant didn’t seem to sweat that prior to the fight — she was confident that win lose or draw, her name value alone would be more than enough to score her a better contract with UFC (or with another promotion). It was a statement that struck me as odd seeing as how she is just 2-3 (now 2-4) in the last five years. And while the crossover appeal has proven to be there, wins in the sport are what matter if you want to score bigger and better paydays. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being confident in yourself, but I hope the thought of having enough name value to secure her future payday — regardless of the outcome of her final fight — didn’t somewhat cause her to overlook Ribas … even the slightest. Regardless, her management team will now have to work a bit harder when it comes time to discussing a new deal with whatever promotion is offering one.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 251: “Usman vs Masvidal” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Kamar Usman shut down Jorge Masvidal in the main event of UFC 251 to defend his title by unanimous decision.

Kamaru Usman defended his UFC welterweight title against Jorge Masvidal in the main event of UFC 251 with a dominant unanimous decision win (50-45, 50-45, 49-46).

What was the high point of the fight?

Masvidal started the fight aggressively, which Usman capitalised on by securing a takedown. Usman pressed Masvidal up against the cage in the second round, winning the round with foot stomps and dirty boxing. Another clash of hands opened up a second cut on Masvidal’s head.

In the third and fourth rounds, Usman continued to land takedowns and force Masvidal up against the fence to work in the clinch. The fifth round was no different, with Usman continuing to shut down any offence from Masvidal by taking the fight to the mat to land strikes.

Where do they go from here?

The win against Masvidal means Usman has victories over two of the top three contenders at welterweight. Given Usman was originally supposed to fight Gilbert Burns on this card, it makes sense for that fight to be rescheduled.

Masvidal’s stock will be relatively unaffected by the loss, he is still a fan favorite and makes him a big draw at 170-pounds. A fight against Leon Edwards is a good one to make for Masvidal, given the bad blood between them also.

Watch it now, later or never?