Islam Makhachev and others react to Arman Tsarukyan's split decision over Charles Oliveira as fans debate over scorecard

Arman Tsarukyan made his case for a lightweight title shot following a split decision win over former champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 300.

Although Oliveira was a clear winner in the opening round, Tsarukyan came back strong in the second round. However, the deciding final round pushed both fighters to the brink and was very tightly contested.

The initial exchanges were dominated by Tsarukyan but Oliveira controlled the final moments of the round. The Armenian gritted it out till the bell and was awarded the split decision. Two judges scored the fight 29-28 in favor of Tsarukyan while one judge scored it 29-28 in favor of Oliveira.

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Fans debated the result and the judges' scores on X (formerly known as Twitter). Judges Mike Bell and Adalaide Byrd received criticism from two sections of fans favoring either fighter.

"Please arrest Mike bell. It’s a joke at this points this is ridiculous he gets away with this every event"

"Why is the notorious trash judge Adalaide Byrd still judging?"

Fans also explained the potential reasoning behind the scores, factoring in the final round control time by Oliveira.

"29-28 Arman, Striking round 3 was bigger advantage for Arman, so the sub attempt doesnt outweigh that. Round 1 striking was even so sub attempt mattered and Olives got Round 1."

Meanwhile, champion Islam Makhachev addressed Tsarukyan and potentially confirmed that he is the next challenger. Similarly, Megan Anderson also called for Tsarukyan's title shot.