KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The UFC on ESPN 44 cageside commentary crew of Brendan Fitzgerald, Daniel Cormier and Michael Bisping were utterly shocked by Joselyn Edwards getting the split decision nod over Lucie Pudilova.
“We don’t have a lot of time to waste, but that is as bad as I’ve ever seen,” Fitzgerald said on the ESPN+ prelim broadcast when Pudilova (13-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) was awarded 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28 scorecards in the women’s bantamweight bout with Pudilova (14-8 MMA, 3-6 UFC) at T-Mobile Center.
Cormier could not believe what he had seen either, after Pudilova used grappling to control the first round and majority of the second before getting reversed late in frame. The third was most competitive at all, with both women striking.
“What? That’s a bad decision,” Cormier said. “I could only see Round 3 going to Edwards.”
Bisping echoed the sentiments, and condemned the three cageside judges for their failure to properly adjudicate the contest.
“That was clearly Round 1 and 2 for Lucie Pudilova,” Bisping said. “I don’t understand that. That’s a terrible start to the night. Those judges, whoever scored it for Joselyne Edwards (were wrong).”
With the result, Edwards sees her winning streak hit three fights. Pudilova, meanwhile, falls to 1-1 since returning to the UFC for a second stint.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 44.
