Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
UFC lightweight strikers Paul Felder and Edson Barboza had another three-round war at the UFC 242 pay-per-view (PPV) event last weekend in Abu Dhabi, a continuation of their “Fight of the Night” classic at UFC on FOX back in summer 2015.
While Felder was able to avenge his previous loss to the Brazilian, not everyone was happy with some of the judges’ scorecards. In fact, Team Barboza has plans to file an appeal in hopes of reversing the decision, or at least securing a “no contest.”
Felder has a better idea.
“As for my fight and what seems to have turned into a controversial decision among fans, it was a war,” Felder wrote on Instagram. “A close fight between two skilled people who wanted to finish each other. I have nothing but respect for Edson. Both of us put our bodies through so much during that fight that whoever came out with the loss would understandably be upset but the numbers don’t lie. If we need to run it back I would be happy to, but this trilogy needs to be five rounds because someone was about to break and that someone was not me. If the fans and Edson need a clear ending to this then it’s main event or bust.”
Both fighters are ranked in the lightweight Top 10.
The scorecard complaints came from the sweeps counted by two of the cageside officials. Howie Booth scored it 30-27 for Barboza with Maria Makemutova marking it 30-27 for Felder. David Lethaby had it 29-28 for the “Irish Dragon.”
No word yet on whether or not the promotion is willing to book the rubber match, but it would certainly be a good fit for an upcoming ESPN+ fight main event in early 2020, perhaps in Philadelphia or somewhere close to both Felder and Barboza.
Stay tuned.