At UFC Kansas City on April 15, the overall officiating was a little shaky, and it definitely received its fair share of criticism. One of those who took exception with how the event was called was UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.
Daniel Cormier via Henry Cejudo YouTube
Cormier, a former UFC Heavyweight & Light Heavyweight Champion, voiced his frustration after what he felt was poor judging in the evening’s contests. When discussing the event, Cormier said that it marred what should have been a great weekend for the promotion.
It was the first card that the Ultimate Fighting Championship has hosted in the state of Missouri or in the Kansas City metropolitan area. A UFC Flyweight Championship match between current champion Demetrious Johnson and Wilson Reis was the headliner.
Cormier was at cage side as part of his analyst duties for the network. As the retired star watched the opening contest between Joselyne Edwards and Lucie Pudilova, he was appalled with the way the fight ended. Edwards got a decision win that many felt was called too quickly.
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Cormier let his feelings be known regarding the fight and the event on his Twitter account, posting “That’s really bad! What a bad start to the night with judging. Holy s**t.”
Cormier continued to discuss his thoughts on the controversial decision on his YouTube channel.
“Let’s not even talk about [Joselyne Edwards vs Lucie Pudilova]. Some of the absolute worst judging I have ever seen in my entire life,” he said about the women’s bout. “I have nothing against Joselyne Edwards, but she won that fight. I don’t know how she won that fight. She got beat, it is what it is.”
For her part, Roberson (13-4 in MMA) was quick to address the controversy.
“I have rewatched the fight,” Robertson told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “The ref said verbal submission. That was what it was deemed. You can’t see her face, you can’t see her mouth. I don’t know what the ref heard. Literally all I’m looking for is the ref to stop the fight. I’m not looking for her tap, I’m looking for the ref to pull me off.
“I think most people acknowledged what I was able to do. I was dominating the fight anyway. On the scorecards, I won the first round. In the second round, I might have got a 10-8 (score), if it finished. So unless she came out and knocked me out in the third, there was no way she was going to win that fight.”
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