Although MMA is a fair sport, for the most part, it is hard to deny that the outliers in terms of judging, the type of fight and home advantage, can turn the decision of the fight in the favour of the clear loser at a moment's notice.
It’s not that these types of incidents happen all too often but when they do, it becomes so obvious that it provokes a feeling of downright disgust. But still, paradoxically, these robberies sometimes end up adding flair to the rematch, an anticipation of revenge and a heavy bag of emotions. No one wants to be the victim of injustice twice.
The following matches saw one fighter become the victim of stupid or biased decision making on the part of the judges. Take a look.
#5 Georges St. Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks
If you haven't been following the career of Johny Hendricks and are a recent fan, then it can be hard to imagine how dominant his uprising to title contention really was. Defeating the likes of Robbie Lawler, Carlos Condit and Jon Fitch, Hendricks rightfully earned a title shot.
Many people didn't give Hendricks enough of a chance against the greatest Welterweight of all time in GSP, but little did they realise that Hendricks had a style that almost proved to be too much for St. Pierre to handle.
When the fight finally materialised, Hendricks absolutely dominated the fight in every sphere, taking down GSP on multiple occasions, unleashing brutal ground and pound and ultimately leaving St. Pierre a bloody mess. One look at both the fighters and you could tell who won the fight but alas it was not to be.
While St.Pierre looked like someone had run him down with a truck, Hendricks looked pristine, hardly showing any signs of having even participated in a fight. Although Hendricks could never get his hands on St. Pierre again as he retired after the fight, the blatant robbery haunted him for many years to come.
#4 Lyoto Machida vs Phil Davis
The fight between Lyoto Machida and Phil Davis was a highly anticipated bout at the time to determine the future of the light heavyweight division and the line of contenders in the upper echelon of the division.
On paper, Davis presented a lot of problems for Machida. Critics had already given Davis an obvious advantage on the ground, being the bigger and stronger fighter and even expected him to dominate in the clinch. The only area in which Davis had a significant disadvantage in the fight was in the stand-up department.
This was not going to be the first time that Davis had nullified an elite striker with great movement, though. He had already done so against the up and coming Alexander Gustaffson.
Meanwhile, when the fight actually took place, things did not go according to the script.
Machida avoided most of the takedown attempts by Davis, spent very little time in the clinch and went on to dominate and subdue his opponent’s attacks. Not only was Davis rattled while standing up but he was also forced to work harder going for takedowns in a desperate attempt to score some points.
Almost everyone, including Dana White saw Machida winning all three rounds but the decision did not reflect the same. Not that it was a close split decision that could have gone the other way on another night, the fight was ruled to be a unanimous decision victory for Phil Davis.
The judges scoring the contest were highly criticised by all media outlets but the decision was not overturned and it still counts as an L on Machida’s illustrious record.
#3 Michael Bisping vs Chael Sonnen
Funnily enough, Bisping had already paid his dues in terms of bad decisions. Does that justify him winning all these decisions in his hometown, though? I'll leave that for you to decide.
On paper, Chael Sonnen vs Michael Bisping sounded like a recipe for trash talk and cheesy but entertaining television, but in reality, nothing of the sort happened.
Bisping and Sonnen were extremely respectful towards each other but vowed to put on a show in the octagon. Easier said than done. Although the fight was no Fight of the Year candidate, it was still an entertaining bout and one that saw everyone expect Bisping to win by a landslide as he landed more shots, avoided numerous takedown attempts from Sonnen and had better octagon control.
To the surprise of everyone including Chael, the fight was scored in favour of Sonnen. Sonnen even apologised to Bisping for the blatant robbery and promised him a rematch, which never happened.
#4 Michael Bisping vs Matt Hamill
Before you even ask, yes, Michael Bisping really is the king of unfair decisions in the UFC, though for the most part, it is the Count who has the last laugh. In the fight against Matt Hamill, Bisping, as usual, got outstruck the entire fight, got taken down at will and ate an ungodly amount of shots.
How he managed to survive in this fight no one knows, but I guess survival is all that’s needed when you're in your hometown and have the judges on your side. Not that Bisping didn't try, who likes to be embarrassed in front of their home crowd? But his efforts were futile as Hamill made Bisping look like an amateur during the whole fight.
As the winner was announced, Bisping celebrated and engaged the crowd as if nothing had happened. There's power in the truth but sometimes there's great power in denial as well.
#5 Chan Sung Jung vs Leonard Garcia 1
Although this fight didn't take place in the UFC but in the WEC 48 instead, I would still gladly include this fight in the list in lieu of the aftershock that it triggered. Not that it was the most blatant robbery as it was a split decision but the fight was, by no means, a closely contested mixed martial arts fight.
Jung dominated almost the entire fight with heavy shots in the clinch, multiple takedowns and vicious ground and pound, even catching Garcia in a close submission.
But all that effort went in vain as Garcia was awarded the victory. Fast forward one more year and the WEC is absorbed by the UFC and along with it, the featherweight division.
Jung now had a chance to avenge the loss against an undeserving fighter. Jung took the bull by the horns and went full blast into the fight, eventually knocking down Garcia with a well-timed jab and immediately taking his back.
With a beautiful back and forth display of elite grappling, Jung eventually found himself in half guard and as Garcia turned around with his back, Jung secured an unexpected twister. Never before in the history of the UFC had anyone used a twister to finish a fight.
Jung then went on to secure the submission and finished Leonard Garcia in the 2nd round. It is still the only twister in UFC history and another example of adversity and injustice kindling a call to action and subsequent success.
