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UFC president Dana White was as shocked as the fans by the split-decision result in the main event of UFC San Antonio on Saturday night.
Cory Sandhagen dominated Marlon Vera for much of the headlining bout. Many who watched the fight believed that Sandhagen won either four or five rounds, with the exception of MMA judge Joel Ojeda. He scored the contest 3-2 in favor of Vera, awarding the last three rounds to 'Chito'.
White appeared in front of the media following the fight and shared his thoughts on the split-decision verdict:
"I was literally coming out of the bathroom and I was like, 'What the f**k?' I think everybody was surprised, could've been 5-0, it could've been 4-[1]. But yeah, a split [decision]? That's pretty scary."
Watch the video below:
Cory Sandhagen outstruck Marlon Vera in all five rounds and was the clear winner in the eyes of Dana White.
'The Sandman' was ranked No.5 prior to UFC San Antonio, and a win over No.3-ranked Vera has moved Sandhagen one step closer to a shot at the bantamweight title.
Dana White on Marlon Vera's lack of activity costing him the fight against Cory Sandhagen
Marlon Vera was less than pleased with his performance against Cory Sandhagen at UFC San Antonio on Saturday night.
'Chito' is known for being a slow starter in fights and often loses a round or two as he looks to find his rhythm.
Vera's corner could be heard pleading with him between rounds later in the fight to increase the volume of strikes, but he ultimately left it too late.
Marlon Vera's previous bout against Dominick Cruz followed a similar pattern to last night's fight. The only difference was the head kick that 'Chito' was able to land on Cruz in Round 4 that knocked him out.
Dana White shared his thoughts on the bout at the post-event press conference:
"Chito to me looked really slow in the Cruz fight, right up until he caught him with the kick and knocked him out. So I was kind of waiting for that last two rounds [against Sandhagen]. Even his corner said to him, 'You've got two rounds to finish this guy. You need to finish this fight.'"
