UFC lightweight Jared Gordon is taking his controversial loss to Paddy Pimblett in stride, but would like to see some changes made to the judging process.
Gordon (19-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) wound up on the wrong end of a unanimous decision after three rounds with Pimblett in the co-main event of UFC 282. The result sparked the latest debate about MMA judging, as many believed Gordon should have been declared the winner. Some labeled it the worst decision in UFC history.
While there have been calls for changes to the MMA judging system, such as utilizing open scoring, or moving away from the 10-point must system adopted from boxing, Gordon thinks it’s more important to focus on the judges themselves.
“I believe that the system is good, could be better, but I believe that the judges need to be looked at way more,” Gordon told MMA Junkie. “Who’s judging these fights, and how long have they been around? What sports did they judge before, and are they fighters? They should have fighters, retired fighters judging these fights – unbiased people.”
A big point of contention in the decision was the scorecard turned in by Doug Crosby, who scored the first and second rounds for Pimblett. Ron McCarthy also submitted the same card, however, Crosby was the focal point after submitting controversial scorecards on back-to-back nights. Gordon doesn’t understand how any judge could have scored the first round for his opponent.
“This guy Crosby, he’s being investigated right now,” Gordon said. “He’s been tied to so many other (decisions), and there’s a million other judges that people hate. (They’re) always crucified. So, yeah I think that’s a big problem and I think that it could be fixed.”
The night before the UFC pay-per-view in Las Vegas, Crosby scored the Bellator 289 main event in Uncasville, Conn. 50-45 for Danny Sabatello in the bantamweight interim title and grand prix semifinal bout against Raufeon Stots. The other two judges scored the fight 48-47 for Stots, prompting Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulations commission director Mike Mazzulli to review the fight with all three judges.
“How could they have given that kid all those rounds?” Gordon questioned. “It’s literally impossible. The only thing that makes sense is that he is an idiot. That’s all I can come up with.”
While Gordon has called for a rematch against Pimblett in London, he believes it is unlikely that the UFC will put the pair together again. He certainly wouldn’t expect to receive any judging favors in Pimblett’s backyard either, if the rematch does come together.
Gordon said UFC president Dana White told him that this was the “best-case scenario” if he were to lose the fight at UFC 282. White was critical of Gordon’s approach in the final round, but “Flash” isn’t holding that against the UFC boss.
If he were to get his hand raised, Gordon would have taken home his win bonus, but admits he would be left with more questions than answers about the trajectory of his career, among other concerns.
“What would be the narrative if I won?” Gordon questioned. “‘Oh, he beat Paddy, he sucks,’ you know, they would flip the narrative somehow. ‘Oh, that was a boring fight, you laid on him in that last round.’ People would be crucifying me right now.”
