UFC 282 was rife with controversy – in special view were the main and co-main events, both coming under a lot of fire for their awry scoring by the judges.
In the main event, Magomed Ankalaev seemed to have done enough to weather the storm against Jan Blachowicz, who had even managed to limit the mobility of his legs. Two of the judges did not see it that way, and the fight was ruled a majority draw, drawing not only Ankalaev’s ire but also generally, the MMA community.
However, the more unpopular decision was Paddy Pimblett being given the decision win over Jared Gordon, despite much of the MMA world believing it was undeserved. As is the case, Ariel Helwani, the most popular MMA journalist unearthed an insider scoop on the situation. Speaking about it, and blaming Douglas Crosby (one judge, in particular), he said, “On Friday night, I’m watching Danny Sabatello vs Raufeon Stots. Raufeon Stots won that fight 48-47, I didn’t see a lot of other people disagree, except for one. His name is Douglas Crosby.”
Continuing, he said, “This guy should not be judging fights. He has too many conflicts, what he does time and again, this is my belief… that he wants to be in such good graces with the promoters. Because I know he loves Dana White, and I know he tries to curry favour with him. He tries to score fights based on what he thinks the promoter wants.”
Ariel Helwani’s scoop on Douglas Crosby could shock the entire MMA world
If what Ariel Helwani believes is true, it could leave the whole world of MMA in dismay – the sport has had an arduous journey fighting out of being a “niche” and “gladiatorial” endeavour, and into a legitimate one. In the wake of the James Krause betting scandal, this could move the MMA community to its core.
Additionally, Ariel Helwani also chose to throw light on the fact that Crosby had made the trip from Connecticut to Las Vegas, Nevada in a short period of time, after having judged yet another MMA bout – emphasizing the point that judges must be well rested in order for their critical acumen to take precedence, which is paramount when judging.
This story is developing still, at the behest of Ariel Helwani’s constant efforts. Hence, it will be interesting to see where it goes – MMA fans need not fret, however, as we will keep updating this piece.
