ABU DHABI – Many viewers were surprised at what they heard when the official decision of his fight was read Saturday, but Rinat Fakhretdinov wasn’t.
Following his unanimous decision win over Carlos Leal at UFC 308, Fakhretdinov (23-1-1 MMA, 5-0-1 UFC) voiced his disagreement with the broadcast team that the judges got it wrong.
“Why were they surprised with the decision?” Fakhretdinov said to MMA Junkie and other reporters at his UFC 308 post-fight news conference. “… Really bad commentators. … First round was pretty close. It could’ve gone either way. I didn’t have any doubt the second or third round was mine. After your words, people will say again the Arabs bought the decision.”
According to MMA Decisions, 100 percent of voting media members scored the fight for Leal with more than 75 percent of viewers also scoring the fight for the Brazilian.
The court of public opinion is meaningless when it comes to the victory added to his win column. Fakhretdinov now rides a 23-fight unbeaten streak, the current longest in the promotion. Fakhretdinov thinks he’s ready for the best of the welterweight division and is eagerly awaiting the next call.
“It doesn’t matter,” Fakhretdinov said. “Anyone from the top 15, top 10, if you put in front of me will be the same. I will get the win. Maybe it’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be a hard win, but I’m going to win. … Even the day after tomorrow I can fight for the title if you give me the chance.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.
