UFC London is up and underway with the preliminary card just coming to a close. In what was the only bantamweight fight on the card, Davey Grant took on Daniel Marcos. However, it’s safe to say that many were not convinced by the conclusion of the fight.
Coming into this one, Grant was on a two-fight win streak, securing a KO/TKO over Louis Smolka and a submission win over Raphael Assuncao. As such, Grant was once again beginning to find his stride. Facing him was the undefeated Daniel Marcos, who was coming off his first UFC win and finish of Saimon Oliveira.
Still undefeated, Daniel Marcos leaves tonight with the split decision victory!👏
[ #UFCLondon | Live on @ESPNPlus 📺 ] pic.twitter.com/5XAy1QYgal
— UFC (@ufc) July 22, 2023
Originally, the bout was meant to be the last on the prelims but ended up being pushed to the main card due to time discrepancies. However, fans were glad to finally see Grant take to the Octagon regardless. Unfortunately, the same could not be said once the decision saw Grant lose via split decision.
Starting off strong, the Englishman did well to keep Marcos quiet and clearly got the better of him in Round 1. Coming to the latter rounds, both fighters threw but neither connected with anything super clean or significant. Both fighters traded leg kicks and a few other strikes but to no real damage, until an accidental one caught Grant on the cup. Notably, no points were deducted from Marcos, and Grant even had some bleeding from his nose.
Davey Grant vs Daniel Marcos: Punching Stats and Judges’ Scorecards
For the most part, the third round seemed to be the most lively one. Highlights included, Marcos connecting with a flying knee on Grant along with a spinning elbow. On the other hand, Grant piled on the pressure with a few good jabs and leg kicks. Most importantly, Marcos also secured a crucial takedown late in round 3.
Moreover, Grant looked to be the more busier and active fighter inside the Octagon. As such, Grant landed a total of 70 strikes as opposed to Marcos’ 49. Interestingly, ‘Dangerous‘ Davey landed more head, body, and leg strikes than Daniel, but somehow looked worse for wear. Here, it must be noted that Marcos also secured the only takedown of the fight.
#UFCLondon Official Scorecard: Daniel Marcos vs Davey Grant
Complete Scorecards: https://t.co/11XfpMKIWk pic.twitter.com/DJWlyA06y2
— UFC News (@UFCNews) July 22, 2023
As such, the judges’ scorecards read 28-29, 29-28, and 29-28 for Daniel Marcos by split decision. Understandably, the crowd was upset and even confused as to how Grant did not win the fight. Despite the decision, fans in the arena and online were clearly in outrage, labeling the decision as a robbery. Whilst it may have seemed that Grant was doing more, the judges likely felt that Marcos had more impact.
Moreover, it is likely that Grant’s condition after the fight further swayed the judges’ decision toward Marcos. However, fans have criticized referees Clemens Werner and Cezary Wojciechowski for awarding Marcos Round 1, as Grant was clearly the better fighter there. With that said, who do you think won this fight? Did Grant edge the fight or did Marcos do enough to justify his win? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.