The glorious history of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) that spans over decades has witnessed numerous star-studded victories as well as heart-shattering failures of prominent MMA fighters. While the hardcore fans of Mixed Martial Arts have often taken the decisions graciously, the history of MMA has also witnessed numerous controversies surrounding these shocking decisions. Well, the 10-point must system, unventilated rounds, lack of replays and bad viewing angles often lead to controversial decisions in the Mixed Martial Arts. Have you ever wondered about the most controversial decisions that left MMA fans entirely shocked? Well, let’s find out.
In this article we will take a look at the top four most controversial decisions in the history of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).
Top 4 Most Controversial Decisions in MMA History
Michael Bisping vs. Matt Hamill – UFC 75, 2007
The iconic bout between Michael Bisping and Matt Hamill at the UFC 75 event on 8 September 2007 is still hailed as one of the most controversial decisions in the history of the Mixed Martial Arts that left the fans divided and sparked a brutal backlash. The former Olympic-level wrestler and “The Ultimate Fighter” (TUF) alumnus, Matt Hamill, entered the bout as an underdog against the first British winner of TUF, Michael Bisping.
Although Hamill controlled the pace of the bout and clearly dominated Bisping in Round 1 and 2, the rising UK star fighter Bisping made a roaring comeback in Round 3 and at the end of the fight at UFC 75, Michael Bisping was declared the winner via split decision over Matt Hamill with a 29–28, 29–28, 28–29 score. Despite the official results, a majority of fans accused the officials of promotional bias towards Michael Bisping.
Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung – WEC 49, 2010
At the second spot in our list of the top four most controversial decisions in the history of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), we have the thrilling bout between Leonard Garcia and Chan Sung Jung at the WEC 49 event on 24 April 2010. While Chan Sung Jung made his official WEC debut, Leonard Garcia was already hailed as one of the most prominent fighters of the WEC.
While Chan Sung Jung dominated Garcia with cleaner and more technical strikes right after the beginning of round one, the official result-29-28 (Garcia), 29-28 (Garcia) and 29-28 (Jung) left the fans fuming in fury and also attracted enormous backlash from the media and analysts. Shockingly, Leonard Garcia himself admitted that he thought he had lost the match and the results left him spellbound. In one of his interviews after the bout, Leonard Garcia confessed that he himself viewed Chan Sung Jung as the undefeated winner of that bout, which further plagued the MMA judging.
Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes – UFC 247, 2020
Next, at the third spot in our list of the top four most controversial decisions in the history of MMA that left the fans shocked, we have the spine-chilling bout between Jon Jones and Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 on 8 February 2020. As per the viewers, the judges clearly favoured Dominick Reyes, who was defending his title for the 11th time in the first three rounds of the bout.
Jon Jones, the undefeated challenger, paced up his moves in rounds four and five but, unfortunately, his efforts weren’t enough to defeat the defending champion Dominick Reyes. At the end of the bout, the judges gave a unanimous decision (48–47, 48–47, 49–46) which left the fans in utter shock. A majority of spectators accused the judges of favouritism and unfair judging and even openly called out for judging reforms.
Sean O’Malley vs. Petr Yan – UFC 280, 2022
Finally, at the fourth spot in our list of the top four most controversial decisions in the history of Mixed Martial Arts, we have one of the most memorable UFC bouts between Sean O’Malley and Petr Yan at the UFC 280 event on 22 October 2022.
While Yan landed six takedowns and had over 5 minutes of control time throughout the bout, the judges handed the victory to Sean O’Malley, which sparked a streak of brutal controversies and debates surrounding the reliability of MMA judging. Well, a majority of fans accused the MMA judges of aiding Sean O’ Malley’s star-power. Shockingly, the controversies surrounding the bout escalated to an extent where numerous prominent fighters, including Daniel Cormier, Aljamain Sterling, and others, openly expressed disagreement with the decision.
