Numerous MMA fans are furious over the judging at the co-main event of UFC 251 featuring Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski.
In an extremely close fight, the judges scored the fight in favour of Alexander Volkanovski via a split decision (48-47 x2, 47-48).
Max Holloway was in complete control of the fight early on and he was able to tag Volkanovski from the outside and maintained terrific footwork. In the opening round, the Hawaiian was able to knock the Aussie down with a head kick.
The second round also seemingly went as the first and Holloway was able to drop Alexander with an uppercut late in the round. However, the momentum started to shift in the third round as Volkanovksi managed to land his hooks and jabs.
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As the fight progressed into round four and five, he added his wrestling into the mix and started taking Max Holloway down on the canvas. At the end of the fight, the Australian had the clear advantage as Volkanovski landed 139 strikes to 111 for Holloway and converted three of nine takedown attempts.
“It was a tough fight. He stood there and didn’t take a backwards step,” Volkanovski said of Holloway. “He made it tough for me in the earlier rounds; I didn’t use the kicks as much as I would have liked, but I got the job done. That’s the main thing. I knew it was two rounds apiece going into that last round. I had to win that last round. I wanted a finish. He went for the finish. Unfortunately, neither of us got it.
“I won the decision, and that’s what counts.”
“I got there in the end. The first two rounds were tough, but I came away with the last three. I had to use all of my tools this fight. It just shows you what type of fighter Max Holloway is.”
Fanduel refunds betters who betted on Max Holloway
While, the fight was extremely close and could have gone either way, prominent US sportsbook Fanduel refunded users who betted on Max Holloway.
🚨 BAD BEAT ALERT 🚨
After Saturday night's controversial split decision finish between Max Holloway and Alex Volkanovski, we've decided to refund all customers who placed a pre-fight wager on @BlessedMMA to win, or win by decision 👊#UFC251 pic.twitter.com/V8fCxGCWia
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) July 13, 2020
“After Saturday night’s controversial split decision finish between Max Holloway and Alex Volkanovski, we’ve decided to refund all customers who placed a pre-fight wager on @BlessedMMA to win, or win by decision,” Fanduel wrote on Twitter.
Alexander Volkanovski wants to return again in 2020
Having beaten Max Holloway in the rematch, Alexander Volkanovski isn’t done in 2020. He plans to fight one more time later this year and is ready for his second title defense.
“I definitely want to get another fight in [before the end of the year]. I want to stay active,” he said. “I’m one of the champions who is chasing the contenders. We’ve got a lot of guys in the division who are about to fight each other, and I’m eyeing every one of them. I want to make defenses and take out No. 1 contenders. That’s what I want to do.”
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