TJ Brown and Kai Kamaka engaged in a three-round war at UFC Vegas 25, resulting in a controversial decision. But Brown believes that there is no controversy.
Brown and Kamaka’s back and forth battle, which left many expecting them to earn Fight of the Night bonuses, ended with a split decision win for Brown. Kamaka’s team, as well as many fans, felt the decision went the wrong way.
Brown recently sat down with Low Kick MMA to discuss the match-up and the outcome. A few days removed from the fight, Brown believes the judges got it right.
“Yeah, so I’ll be honest. After the fight I was like, man, this fight could really go either way. I was proud of my performance. I was proud of myself for putting my heart on the line and doing my best. I was a bit worried. I didn’t know it for sure. I knew it could go either way, but after watching video, I believe I won two out of three rounds. I think it was a good decision. I believe I won. No disrespect to Kai Kamaka and his team.”
In the aftermath of the fight, Kamaka’s team has announced that they will be appealing the decision. When asked about the appeal, Brown could undoubtedly understand Kamaka’s frustration.
“I’m trying to understand it from their perspective. And from their perspective, I can understand being upset. You know, because at the end of the day, we put everything into these fights. You’ve gotta understand how much we put into it. I can understand him being passionate about loss and wanting to get it overturned.”
“I understand where they’re coming from, but at the same time, I think as a man, you have to understand that’s just the fight game. Don’t blame it on the judges. Maybe there’s something more he could have done to win the fight instead of looking to make excuses. Maybe there’s something more he could have done to try to finish me instead of trying to blame the judges.”
Do you think the judges made the right call in awarding the win to TJ Brown and not Kai Kamaka?