Questionable Decision Overshadows Title Bout, Dominating Performances
A questionable split decision victory which was awarded to The Ultimate Fighter 3 winner Michael Bisping over Matt Hamill has caused a uproar among fans and overshadowed a 5-round title fight and other dominating performances on an action-packed card.
In the main event of the evening Dan Henderson appeared hesitant and ineffective as Quinton Jackson controlled the former-PRIDE champion on the ground while interspersing striking throughout to rack up points. Henderson did not go down without a fight but was overwhelmed by Jackson’s strong ground game and came up short with scores of 48-47, 49-46, and 49-46 all being awarded to the UFC Champion.
Henderson opened up strong in round one taking Jackson down and using short knees to the body but round two showed a distinct change in pace. After a takedown from Henderson Jackson got the upper hand controlling the top position for the majority of the round using body strikes to rack up points. Round three was the most even (and could have been scored in favor of either fighter) with both fighters trading strikes on their feet and on the ground. The fourth round opened with a hard combination from Rampage that allowed him to take the fight to the ground and keep it there of a majority of the round to secure another round. In the final round desperation started to show with Henderson needing a knockout to secure the win. His opportunity never came as Jackson neutralized his opponents attempts to secure a unanimous decision win becoming the Unified Light Heavweight Champion of the world.
In the most controversial (and talked about) decision in recent history Michael Bisping was awarded split decision win over Matt Hamill. The win even came as a surprise to Bisping’s home crowd in London who booed the winner despite cheering him on throughout the bout. Hamill appeared a different fighter in London still displaying his impressive takedowns but displaying a much improved standup game than many expected. Despite wrestling through his previous fights Hamill changed the pace in his bout taking Bisping down on nearly every kick attempt he made but allowed him to return to his feet showing confidence in his newfound striking.
Bisping fought the match much like a boxing match move quickly around the octagon using short, crisp strikes throughout while avoiding much of what Hamill was throwing at him. The turning point on the scorecards likely came on the ground where Hamill allowed his opponent to return to his feet several times and the decision cost him. The judges awarded Bisping a split decision win with scores of 29-28, 29-28, and 27-30. The very questionable decision prompted fan upheavel and questions over just how legitimate Michael Bisping actually is.
In other main card action Cheick Kongo dominated Mirko “Cro Cop” for the majority for their fight and showed much-improved ground game to secure the win. Despite several errant knees to Mirko’s groin Kongo frustrated Cro Cop throughout avoiding most of his offense and controlling the pace of the fight. The judges handed down a trio of 29-28 scores for Kongo handing Cro Cop back-to-back losses and likely removing him from UFC heavyweight title contention.
In a fight that resulted in the submission of the night Marcus Davis recovered from a kick to the head and near stoppage to lock in an armbar late in the first round. Paul Taylor caught “The Irish Hand Grenade” early in the round with a right high kick that sent him to the ground. After several hammer fists and a near-stoppage Davis recovered to take the dominant position eventually catching Taylor in the fight-ending armbar to secure another UFC victory.
Opening the main card Houston Alexander showed his power with another knockout win in 1:01 over Alessio Sakara. “The Assassin” opened the round by rocking Sakara with a pair of knees. Although he briefly recovered Alexander quickly caught up with him and landed another devastating knee that sent him to the ground where Alexander pounced and unleashed strikes until the fight was stopped.
In undercard action England’s Terry Etim was defeated in front of his home crowd losing a unanimous decision to Gleison Tibau. Tomasz Drwal put on an impressive first round in his UFC debut but Thiago Silva returned with a strong second round winning by technical knockout at 4:23 of the second. Dennis Siver controlled his fight from the beginning taking Naoyuki Kotani to the ground and using effective strikes to open a gash on his forehead. Siver caught Kotani early in the second with a left hook and followed it up with a right that ended the fight at 2:04. Jess Liaudin dominated from the start in his fight against Anthony Torres landing several near knockouts before he sent Torres to the ground and finished him off with more strikes.
More than 20,000 fans packed the O2 arena for the event which sold more tickets in England than any fight card in over 10 years.
Up next for the UFC is two more events before the end of September. The UFC will return to Spike on September 19th for UFC Fight Night 11 and will then head to Anaheim for UFC 76 on September 22nd.
Tags: Alessio Sakara, Anthony Torres, Cheick Kongo, Dan Henderson, Dennis Siver, Gleison Tibau, Houston Alexander, Jess Liaudin, Marcus Davis, Matt Hamill, Michael Bisping, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Naoyuki Kotani, Paul Taylor, Quinton Jackson, Terry Etim, Thiago Silva, Tomasz Drwal
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I have never questioned the integrity of the UFC until now. I have seen some bouts in the past that had questionable decisions, but last night was very disheartening for me. I have watched the Bisbing/Hamill fight several times now and still can’t figure out where Bisbing scored his points. Someone please explain to me how this is possible?
The only way Bisbing won this fight is if they gave points for retreating. Dana White has to make the decision soon as to whether this is the road he wants to go down. What is more important? selling the sport, or integrity?
Overall i feel that this fight was purely designed to sell the sport in England, not to entertain (or determine who the best mixed martial arts athletes are). The Fans in London said it best….Boooooooooooooo!!!!! Keep your head up Hamill, and continue to develope your stand up(you did out box him). Bisbing, check your ego at the door and show at least some respect after the fight is over. “Go back to wrestling” ? gimme a break….
Kris, I couldn’t agree more. That fight has the nasty stench of boxing.
One of UFCs strengths is judging. Rip-offs are much more rare. What makes this fight so egregious is that it was an open secret that UFC was protecting the “British Champion.” Judging like this erased all doubt.
Heck, even the Brits watching live now know the fix is in.
Hamill dominated and won that fight and Bisping knows it. Piss poor performance by 2 of the judges.
UFC’s website says nothing about a controversial decision, what’s really goin on? They make it sound like Bisping actually won the fight!
Houston Alexander vs. Michael Bisping what do you think? I’m tired of the UFC protecting Bispings MMA record, I wanna see him get KO’d
the UFC won’t put stuff that makes them look bad on their own site. That site is to pimp the UFC, not give a fair reading of what really happened. Dana White is going to tell us all about what a freakin warrior Decision **** is too.
You and me and every other fan, including all of the people in Decision ****’s corner, saw someone get mauled by a bear in the bout. Everyone but two of the idiot judges. UFC has lost a gigantic ton of credibility in my eyes. I can disagree with close decisions and not feel to unhappy with the result…Guida-Griffin, Griffin-Ortiz (I thought that one was 30-26 Ortiz on all three cards)…but this was ridiculously awful. Fighters say you can’t give it to the judges, you never know what’ll happen, and this shows it in a stark, stark light.
Have Bisping fight over in N. America against Hamill (again) or top 10 fighter. Maybe loser of Chuck/Keith?
I think the UFC conveniently forgotten how to score using their own octagon RULES!
- octagon aggression & control (Matt all 3 rounds)
- effective striking (Who’s face, in the end provided evidence of ‘effective’?)
Damn if I will purchase ufc 76, I beleive UFC will make their Forrest crybaby griffen win as to further rid the Pride brand. I rather not pay for a UFC “influenced� business decision outcome. Hell its not even a title fight card for the same price. I wonder if they will preserve their golden boy and screw over Fitch along the way! UFC is starting to make money their main motive over fair decisions and that totally SUCKS!!!!!! BOOOOO UFC, using Crocop to develop new STARS for future financal gain knowing he will retire soon. Boycotting (money) will be the only why to get the message to the UFC! We are not looking for UFC to turn into WWE, TNA, etc.
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I have recently become a UFC fan (1-2 years) I do not claim to have a deep technical understanding of scoring, but I do undertand how UFC describes. I am glad to see that I am not the only one confused as to how Bisping won that fight. Anyone can review tape and draw their own conclusion…
I THINK THE UFC SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES FOR ALLOWING THE DECISION TO GO TO BISPING!!! WHAT A JOKE!!!!!!! NOW THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE THE DECISION SOUND “LEGITIMATE” BY SAYING IT WAS MATT’S FAULT HE LOST THE FIGHT BECAUSE HE LET BISPING UP OFF THE MATT TOO MANY TIMES!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? HOPEFULLY THIS DECISION WILL BE OVER-TURNED!!! UFC HAS LOST ALOT OF INTEGRITY AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED OVER THIS FIGHT!!!!!!!! BOOOOOOOOOOOO BISPING!!!!!!!!
The whole MMA/UFC fan world must believe that the decision was fixed! Even the “Bisbing” fans should admit that Hamill won the fight. I’m a Bisbing fan here in the US but the better man should have won that fight and it was not Bisbing. I’m sure even Dana White and Bisbing’s corner were surprised when they heard the decision. Unless Dana fixed it himself.
That decision maybe one of the “nails” on UFC’s coffin. A sad moment for UFC supporters…..
JPEREZ CUDOS!!!!! This Is getting to be like the WWE!!!!!!!!!! I AM the UFC’s BIGGEST fan but I was SICKENED by that ****ty scorecard?? Bisping won MAYBE one round…..DANA White Needs to address this or he will lose Many supporters! Im glad I didnt pay for that fight card or Id be asking for a refund!!!!!!!!! I payed 40 bucks to see Rampage knock out The “Iceman” and I wasnt upset because that was real,Last nights Spectical in LIMEYTOWN Needs to be REVERSED!!!!!!!!!!!!
After many years as a devoted UFC fan and having purchased most of the PPV’s, I am done. I will no longer subsidize the UFC’s greed by using a very talented fighter like Matt Hammel as a sacrificial lamb. He deserves better than that. Bisbing can stay in England, I will never watch him again. Come on Tito, stand up for Matt, as it is apparent no other official member of the UFC will!!!!! Hey Dana, easy come, easy go. You lost a huge fan base!
Hey Dana and Joe, you got yourself into a f*@king submission, tap out b****!!!
Kris who I think runs this web site (could be wrong on that) claims to question the integrity of the UFC after this Michael Bisping split decision win over Matt Hamill. I also feel that Hamill should have won at least 2 rounds. I also question the integrity of UFC Daily who scorded the fight 2 rounds to 1 for Bisping in the UFC 75 Results write up.
What a joke!!! I cant believe that Matt lost this fight. It even seemed as if Bisping was suprised that he won after the beating he took. The fix was in, just read the articles on UFC.COM. No mention of a contraversy. Atleast with the WWE you get honesty about the fact that the matches are fixed.
Bisping almost lost to Elvis. Enough said!
www=ufc=circus; the pimps and fags are on the saddle. I hate to see that everything becomes “plastique”. Back in 90’s i’ve seen real men like GRACIE, SEVERN, TAKTAROV,SHAMROCK and now i’m looking at fags like “Bispig”, pushed in the front row by pimps like “Dana = Don King”.
I realy belived in ufc; now I don’t give a ****.
ufc is on a fast track to being just a bull**** show… protecting big names, hyping hometown heroes, lets just see some fights and have some fair decisions. unf*ckingbelievable.
jason` says:
ufc is on a fast track to being just a bull**** show… protecting big names, hyping hometown heroes, lets just see some fights and have some fair decisions. unf*ckingbelievable.
^ WELL SAID.
This will go down as one of the biggest mistakes the UFC has ever made.
Some questions for Dana White……….
1. do you think your fan base are a bunch of idiots?
2. how much money did it take for you to sell out?
3. how did you come up with the number?
4. do you know how the point system works in the UFC?
5. Is there random drug testing/eye exams for the judges?
6. Do you know what the term “propaganda” means?
Although i cant stand the guy I hope Bill O’reilly gets wind of this issue and calls the UFC on this. Cause i’m surely running out of sports to follow due to this kind of crap.
but i do thank them for not moderating out my comments like some other sites.
This is not my website BTW
My apologies to Kris I was under the impression that he was involved with the website.
Although I don’t agree with the decision I think that it is important the note that the judges are not selected by the UFC they are selected be the location of the fight cards athletic commission.
Wrong. UK shows, from what I understand, are judged by people hired and arranged by the UFC.
James of Salem, PERFECT reference to boxing!
Its funny that Dana was the main person bashing the boxing community for it being corrupt and all that ****. Trying to make mma(the ufc.) grow and say that this sport would never be like boxing is, having rigged fights, biased calls..etc…and just like that a couple of months later they f*** up fight like that?
UFC is all (sh****)business folks.
There is no commission in the UK which means the UFC is in charge of drug testing and finding judges. There judges are licensed in the US as the UFC doesn’t want that hanging over their heads but I do believe that they picked them.
Right, it’s a different Kris.
By the way if anyone is offended by the language of any comments let me know. There have been so many angry ones in the last day it’s hard to keep track of them all so if there’s anything out of line send me an email using the comment form and I’ll get it fixed.
Yeah…this is a setback for the UFC. We’ll see how they rebound and if Dana can come out and say he made a mistake. Im still going to watch the UFC…but I would like an explanation.
It isn’t enough for me to give up my favorite sport, but it better change soon. This,I still believe after watching the fight again, was an injust call. I just don’t see how Bisbing won. He may have won punches landed, I’ll give him that. But effectivness of punching,cage control, and takedowns definately goto Hammil. I don’t even care for Hammil(though I did pick him to win) I think he was screwed. At least one judge had it right with 30-27 Hammil. At least give Hammil a rematch Dana, common man, this is a serious deal if you haven’t noticed how emotional your fan base is about this sport.
I was looking forward to the Rampage fight bought when I saw the Hamil fight then hearing the score from the judges made me not care about the Rampage fight. The Rampage fight was a good one from what I read ,but I didn’t care to watch it after what happen to Matt Hamil. If the U wants to sell they should have been backing Hamil. What a story they could have had with a guy with no hearing. Did any body notice Joe Rogan after the fight when he was talking about the Rampage fight about to happen. He had a different look on his face like we screwed up.
I think Bisping needs to stop hiding behind Dana Whites skirt. I was a Bisping fan during the show and I am not an avid Matt Hamill fan- yet I wholeheartedly believe Hamill won the fight. Bisping has a big mouth and all Dana White is doing is keeping it from getting KTFO by a real contender…it will happen, but not as long as White and the boys are lining thier pockets from his popularity in the U.K. …how does it feel “mate” to be booed by your own f***ing fans?
I lost a lot of respect for the ufc last night. There is no denying that Matt Hammill won the fight. How could Bisping be given the decision after being dominated in all aspects for 3 rounds? He is an egomaniac and too full of himself. Here he gets his ass handed to him and 2 judges award him the decision? I unfortunately have to admit this fight was fixed. I will never pay for an event with bisping fighting, and have to decide whether I’ll ever watch another event.
Kris I’m confused, if you posted UFC 75 Results on 08 Sep 2007 at 11:45 am who scored the fight in your posting?
I agree with you Kris. I wanted Hamil to win and he did win, but not according to the judges, which is the most important. Hamil won all three rounds. I think Bisping might be humbled from this fight. He might drop in weight because he was overwhelmed by Hamils striking, size and strength.
What happened to Cro Cop? He wins the first round and looked really good and didn’t come out to fight for the second and third round. I still think he will one day get a UFC title shot, but it is unfortunate how he was not the killer I thought he would be against Kongo. I was wrong about Kongo; the dude is really good. He should get a title shot or fight Arlovski to determine a number one contender.
Houston Alexander looked great last night. If Forrest loses to Rua, I would love to see a Griffin vs. Alexander fight. He has spent less than two minutes inside the octagon! The guy looked really good in his fight. I wonder who Alexander might fight next?
Since I recorded that fight last night, I ended up watching it a few more times to see if I missed something blatant. I still think it could have gone either way. I think that round 1 was all Hamill. I think that round 2 could have gone either way and round 3 was Bisping’s. I think Hamill did more damage when they were on the ground and really controlled the pace of the fight but that Bisping did more damage (in the 2nd and 3rd round) while they were on their feet.
Also, almost at the end of the 2nd round when the 10 second warning goes off (which Hamill can’t hear) Bisping obviously did hear it and got in a few really well placed hits. Maybe that was what pushed it in his favor for those judges??
Judging is definitely subjective. I think that Hamill got the judge that was focusing on his wrestling skills and control and the power of his strikes. I think Bisping got judges that were looking at number of strikes etc.
Hamill kept letting him get up so there were a lot of missed opportunities. I think what irks me most about this decision is that I wish Hamill had pressed a bit harder and this wouldn’t have had to go to the judges at all.
As far as Bisping’s attitude after the fight and the comments that he made then goes, he’s an ass. Considering that this was not an obvious win, he really had no reason to be such a cocky, disrespectful moron.
I think everyone needs to take a key from Carla and grow up. I commend you Carla for staying objective. I disagree with the decision, but it wasn’t as one sided as people are making it out to be. As far as Bisbing is conserned, I have lost all respect for him due to his attitude and comments after the match. Be a sportsman and take your hat off to Hammil for givig you a hell of a fight in your home(and on his feet) But again Carla, Kudos to you and your attitude twords this matter.
Matt Hamill definately won that fight. Everyone including Bisping knows it too. I would really like to know what Dana has to say about all the controversy.
Since Tito and Matt are close friends I hope Tito backs up Matt and publicly blows a lot of **** about this. Tito’s not afraid to speak his mind so maybe he’ll help Matt out.
I will admit i answered no to the question last week that the ufc is protecting bisping.After last nights decesion win, I have changed my mind. I hope that this is the last time we see anything like this again. Ray charles could see who won that fight.
what the hell is going on with this fight bisping lost this is a heart break matt this is your fight YES I WILL VOIEDCOT UFC 76 WHO CARES DANA DONT
Hamell dominated all three rounds and it wasn’ t even close. To end this i am gunna say after the post fight remarks that bisping made i have lost all respect for the guy. UFC dropped the ball on this one.Dana White, you need to look into this for the integrity of the UFC. I didn’t know this was turning into DON KING boxing
The rounds are scored on the basis of effective striking, aggression, octagon control, submission (sherdog.com). The outrage has only just begun….weekends over!
I came into the fight a huge fan of the ufc and a big fan of the ultimate fighter 3, the only season of tuf that i ever was addicted to. I was completely shocked when i seen this judgement, hammill was the only one who really caused any damage. What did bisping do to earn a win???? I always wanted to see this bout and now i just feel like i got screwed over as a fan because i was robbed of a fair decision for what shouldve been an obvious decision. I really wish ufc and DANA WHITE would do something about this injustice.
As a massive UK UFC fan I was gobsmacked at the decision between Hamill and Bisping, I expected Bisping to dominate the fight which wasnt the case Hamill was a much improved all round fighter and in my opinion definitely won two of the three rounds. The only reason Bisping was given the decision is because he was fighting in front of his home crowd.
Jeez Kristopher…why are you trying to call out Kris. Give it a rest.
As for everything else… I am going to still watch the UFC, everyone who is saying they are going to boycott the UFC…cmon now. You know your still going to watch it somewhere, its to addictive. I think after the UFC learns the outrage of that fight, they may take a step back and look at whats going on. Who knows, it may not have been a decision of Dana Whites like everyone thinks it is. Its a touchy subject…..Its monday….I still have to work, and the world is still turning, time to move on and get ready for fight night. Agreed?
Got to agree with Carla on this one. I definitely think Hamill should have won, BUT I can understand where the judges scored in Bisping’s favor. If you look at it in terms of aggressiveness and control it was all Hamill, but there was more he could have done on the ground. The only way the UFC can redeem themselves in my eyes is if they give the fans the choice as to who fights Bisping next (i.e. loser of Liddell/Jardine, Houston Alexander, winner of Griffin/Rua). Personally, I’d want him in the ring with Alexander, give him an upclose demonstration on how to throw a knee, maybe crack his disrespectful head open (after his pompous little display at the end of the fight I was ready to hammerfist elbow the tv).
I watched the UK feed of the event. That time is when I first posted that article, not when I last updated it (which was sometime late Saturday). That’s why there’s a difference in time versus when it was actually being updated.
After I rewatched it I think the second round could go either way. First was Hamill’s. The third was Bisping’s.
I thought I’d let everyone know that the regular site design will be back later tonight. It changes before events to make it easier to navigate and easier on the server. There may be an outage later this week as we move servers to something a bit bigger but I will make a post when the outage is possible.
i’ve been a fan of ufc for quite a while, and i’m glad i’m not the only one outraged at this decision. hamill was in control of all three rounds, and i remember from my wrestling days that a take down is 2 points, and escape is 1 point. not that ufc is the same, but hamill controlled the fight and came out on top all three rounds. 30-27 is the only good score.
I agree whole-heartedly with most everyone. It’s comforting (in a sad way) to know I’m not the only one outraged and BLOWN AWAY by the Hammill/egomaniac decision! Hammill gave a great performance; he was a true professional and a REAL MAN (he took that stupid decision ‘on the chin’) and in stark contrast, bis’pig’ was unparalleled in his uncalled-for behavior and comments after the fight. What a JERK! ‘Count’ on that!
The UFC MUST know that their credibility was flushed down the toilet Saturday night. Do they really give their fans so little credit? I guess it’s true: Everyone has their price. Shame on the UFC for making that cliche’ so poignant!
Like many, I’ve been an avid UFC fan for years and will now, unfortunately, rethink that. It’s heart-breaking and gut-wrenching to think that all sports are tainted and we can no longer truly enjoy a show of entertainment through athleticism without wondering . . . .
too bad Bisping seems likely to run for 185lbs now. If Hamill, who’s rather inexperienced at the game, could work him over so badly, imagine what he’d do against anyone other than the inexperienced or lower-tier 205lbers. Imagine Bisping vs. Tito. Tito would hurt him horribly.
You know what I want to see? Count Douchebag against Anderson Silva. It makes me smile to think of it…Silva might actually make his head into some kind of nutritious paste, and craft a sandwich in the ring. Maybe with watercress.
Right on Garth. I doubt the UFC and Bisping will risk another fight with Hamill (even though Dana said he’s setting up a rematch). Bisping is more well suited for 185 so that decision only makes sense give how weak the division is right now.
Kris: I still think Bisping will be dominated by any talented fighter, especially one that has good takedowns. He was petrified of Hamill’s takedowns to the point that he ran like hell the entire time.
Ah well. I put up one more angry post and now I’m done with this fight. I gotta gargle about a gallon of bleach to get the bad taste out of my mouth. The judge going online and begging people to believe his weak justifications really put the nail in the coffin for me.
I agree with all of you. I will not watch another Bisbing fight. I don’t want to see him ket KO’ed hurt, My way of dealing with this kind of Sh*T is to never watch him again. If you watch the UFC is happy. If you don’t watch. The UFC will change its ways to get you to watch. I will watch Hamill anytime but not if its with Bisbing. The UFC wants our $$$ if they don’t get them they are smart enough to change. They get the numbers of how many watched in the US. if the numbers drop. They know and get scared. Well Thats my way
disgusting decision. what a turn-off. i will definitely not buy the next pay per view. the ufc and their b**** announcers have no credibility. the rematch should be on free tv.
who has bisping beaten…. mark my words two years from now he is bouncing at a night club in london…. he will drop to 185 because he realized that those guys are two big for him to handle…. I would of given him a pass if he wasn't such an ass after the fight.. He just should of said it was tough fight I used my boxing skills to get the victory, but instead he starts talking trash…. i was indifferent to bisping, I now would not watch that loser fight
disgusting…. bisping you are cocky guy who is just an avg fighter…. you will not hang with the elite… you lost… You should of been humble afterwards and acknowledge it was a tight fight and your glad you got the victory instead of talking trash…
Look, it’s not up to Dana, Joe or Tito to judge or speak up for anyone, Bisping knows that he won a ’split decision’ which isnt very concrete as a win so he will try to at least redeem himself no matter where the fight takes place but at the same time I hope they give him more than a challenge in his next bout (if it isn’t Hamill). Everyone knows that if you leave the fight in the judge’s hands, it’s bound to be a different decision than we would have made, they’re the reputatable ones who have to face the press and the boss who decides whether or not they judge another fight. I personally don’t think either of they did enough to really ‘win’ the fight but a rematch would make sense but I could see that bout being Bisping’s last one at 205, it would make much more sense for him to be fighting at 185.
As for the professional judges we have commenting on here who play the blame game on Dana and Joe and expect Tito of all people to speak up, grow up and realize decisions are in three sets of hands and neither are ours, Dana’s or Joe’s. Any fight that goes to decision could be judged differently by hundreds of people so it doesn’t make sense to be offended or angry because of some decisions and trash talking, it’s happened since day 1 and won’t stop because some bloggers boycot a few UFC PPV’s.