UFC scoring controversy continues: Footage shows judge changing scores inside the octagon after Kowalkiewicz vs. Gomez fight at UFC 281

Valentina Shevchenko went up against Alexa Grasso in an exciting women's flyweight title rematch at Noche UFC on September 16. While both had their moments over thrilling five rounds, Grasso finished the fight strong by controlling Shevchenko on the ground for the last few minutes of the fifth round.

At the end of the contest, the judges scored the fight a controversial split draw, and Alexa Grasso ultimately retained her championship. The split draw was mainly due to one judge, Mike Bell, giving the final round a baffling 10-8 in favor of the Mexican champion. While many admitted that Grasso should've won the round, it was by no means dominant enough to warrant a 10-8 score.

While fans were undoubtedly shocked at the judging that took place at Noche UFC two weeks ago, it seems the problem has been going on for a while. Fans have long suspected that several MMA judges may either be corrupt or highly incompetent.

One such fan recently took to X (formerly Twitter) and shared a clip from UFC 281 showing a judge allegedly changing the scores of the Gomez Suarez vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz fight last minute.

The video, shared by @bloodymmabets, shows an individual scrubbing and re-writing something on the official scorecards for over two minutes while the fighters await the final decision announcement.

As cameras focused on the man editing the scoresheet, commentators Daniel Cormier and Jon Anik couldn't help but express their disbelief. 'DC' can be heard saying:

"Oh my goodness. What is going on? Oh my goodness, they're flipping the scorecard."

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Noche UFC headliner controversy: Dana White brutally slams judge who gave the final round a 10-8 score

As mentioned, the Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso flyweight title rematch turned out to be quite a controversial affair. In the aftermath, Dana White sounded off on the judge responsible for causing the split draw and for scoring the final round 10-8 in Grasso's favor.

While the Shevchenko-Grasso matchup was undeniably among the best fights of 2023, many fans were put off by judge Mike Bell's inexplicable scoring methods. White was among the many who found the judging at Noche UFC to be incredibly confusing.

During a post-fight presser after Dana White's Contender Series 63, the UFC CEO said:

"When I found out that one of the judges scored 10-8, I’m like, this guy should be f***ing investigated for this. This is the craziest s**t I’ve ever seen in my life... These people are human, they make mistakes, but this one’s total bulls**t... There is no excuse for that 10-8.”