“F**K You Herb Dean” – Referee Criticized for Knee-to-the-Head Controversy After ‘Weird’ 30–27 UFC Austin Decision

UFC Austin witnessed incredible fights and multiple knockouts. The fight between Damir Ismagulov and Guram Kutateladze was no less. But the judges’ decision left fans and fighters confused.

Kutateladze was the underdog going into the fight that started with the two fighters throwing light jabs at each other and feeling their range. The first round started off close, with the duo displaying phenomenal striking. Kutateladze then dominated the striking exchanges and all Ismagulov could do was try to dodge.

Ismagulov countered Kutateladze and got the better of him in round 2 after using his jab as a weapon. ‘Georgian Viking’ attempted to take down Ismagulov but wasn’t able to complete it.

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Round 3 was also close as the two strikers exchanged blow for blow. When Bruce Buffer announced the decision, the entire stadium was shocked. The judges scored the contest 30-27, 28-28, and 29-28 for Ismagulov.

The fans and fighters reacted to the strange UFC Austin decision

Fans were quick to react to this decision on Twitter. Most of them were shocked and couldn’t believe that one of the judges had scored the contest 30-27. Most of them thought Kutateladze had done enough to win the bout.

Even fighter Belal Muhammad reacted to the scoring.

Some fans were also mad at referee Herb Dean because of the knee-to-head incident. This happened when Kutateladze threw a knee which, according to Dean, connected to the head of Ismagulov. But on watching the replay, this was not the case and the incident only bought time for Ismagulov to recover.

The commentators later clarified that there was a mistake on the scorecard. The judge actually scored Kutateladze 29-28 and not 28-28. This would mean that Ismagulov won the fight via split decision.

With this split decision win, Ismagulov extended his winning streak to 19 fights and now has a professional record of 24-1-0. He is currently undefeated in the UFC with 5 wins. This is a big step in his career and he will be a fighter to watch out for in the lightweight division.

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What did you think of this decision? Do you agree with the judges? Who do you think won? Let us know by dropping your opinions in the comments below.