Welcome to “Judges Gonna Judge,” where our MMA Junkie staff panel revisits the most controversial decision that occurred over the weekend.
This week, we look at the featherweight title fight between A.J. McKee and Patricio Freire at Bellator 277. The rematch between these two headlined the event Friday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., and caused quite the stir after the official scores were read.
After 25 minutes of action, “Pitbull” was declared the winner on the judges’ scorecards, much to the surprise of McKee, who appeared to genuinely believe he won unanimously.
Official judges Derek Cleary and Ron McCarty turned in scores of 48-47 in favor of “Pitbull,” although they differed on who won the third and fourth rounds. Judge Michael Bell submitted a score of 49-46, scoring only the final round in favor of now-former champion McKee.
#Bellator277 Official Result @PatricioPitbull defeated AJ McKee via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) pic.twitter.com/Ba1qFo6GRR
— Bellator Public Relations (@BellatorPR) April 16, 2022
MMA Junkie’s Matthew Wells, Nolan King, and Danny Segura put on their judging hats and break the fight down by each round.
