After Pulling off One of the Biggest Controversies, Judge Mike Bell Reportedly Refuses Request Over Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko Fiasco

UFC Noche surely gave the fans the fights that they came for but also a bit more than what they were expecting. The fight card was lined up with amazing fights but the main event was what the fans were eagerly looking forward to. However, at the end of the fight, the fans and the promotion found themselves without a winner. The fight was for the Women’s Flyweight title between Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso.

Billed as UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2, the UFC main event was held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, on 16 September, and ended in a split draw. The fans didn’t get a winner as the fight ended in a draw. Alexa Grasso, who came into the fight as the Women’s Flyweight champion, retained her title owing to this decision. Valentina Shevchenko didn’t seem entirely convinced of this decision and now, it seems it’s not just her as revealed by MMA analyst Aron Bronsteter.

UFC judge Mike Bell under fire after controversial ‘draw’ decision for Valentina Shevchenko vs. Alexa Grasso

Although the fight was one of the most entertaining and thrilling fights of the night, the fans were left without a winner. The champion retained her title. However, what raised eyebrows, was the way the judges scored the fight.

The final scorecards read,  47-47, 47-48, and 48-47, leading to Grasso walking out with the championship title but without a win. This didn’t go down well with the fans or Shevchenko. UFC judge Mike Bell scored the fight 47-47. In the post-fight interview, Shevchenko said that she felt that she won the fight. She said 3 rounds should have gone to her and 2 rounds to Grasso. 

The fans have also openly questioned and disputed the decision that the judges had taken. Mike Bell, for instance, has been under fire for a while now. Now, MMA analyst Aron Bronsteter seems to have added fuel to the fire as he shared a tweet claiming that Bell had refused to give interviews and attend post-fight debriefs as well.

“I formally requested an interview with Mr. Bell and also asked whether it would be possible to attend post-fight debriefs that the commission has with the officials and both requests were declined,” read Bell’s Tweet. 

The entire UFC world has been harshly criticizing the decision. In fact, UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby was seen shocked when he learned about the judge’s decision after the fight. This footage has been going viral online as well. He was filling in for UFC CEO Dana White, who was absent for the fight.

Valentina Shevchenko draws the fight with Alexa Grasso with a grave injury – Were the judges’ decision right?

In the post-fight interview, Shevchenko appeared with, what appeared to be a sling and a cast on her hand. Later in the interview, she disclosed that she had suffered a grave injury in the first round of the fight. She speculated that it might be a fracture.

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The interviewer then went on to ask Shevchenko if she was looking at going for a trilogy fight against Alexa Grasso. However, Shevchenko made no comment on her future plans and just said that she is currently focusing on healing up quickly so that she can get back to training. With this unfortunate end to Noche UFC, Shevchenko walked out empty-handed after a fight against Grasso, for the second time.

At this point, all the fans can do is pray for a quick recovery for Valentina Shevchenko, so that she can come back and complete the trilogy – if not for herself, at least for the fans. Meanwhile, everyone is waiting to hear what the UFC officials have to say in the form of an official statement, with regards to the scorecards and the final decision for the main event.

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