MMA judges and close fights often do not go well together. This saga continued at UFC Vegas 78, when the official decision was announced in favor of Cub Swanson, who was up against Hakeem Dawodu in the co-main event of the fight night.
Dawodu landed some great punches and looked dominant in the first two rounds of the featherweight bout, and he managed to hurt his opponent with a strong hit that bloodied Cub’s face. In the last round of the fight, Swanson produced a big takedown and was trying to get a few more of them, but he did not have the time to do so. The last round could have gone in favor of the well-liked Swanson, but there was no way he would win by a clear margin.
However, the official judges for the fight did not think so, as they all scored the fight 29-28 in favor of Swanson, and he was declared the winner by a unanimous decision. Fans were not happy, and they took to social media to express their anger. Some of them even pointed out that Cub himself thought he did not win the fight.
“I felt like I was in the moment and having fun. I thought I took more shots; I always beat myself up, so I’d have to watch it again, and I was so worried going into this fight,” said Swanson after the fight.
In the post-fight interview with UFC legend Daniel Cormier, Swanson accepted that he did not believe he was going to win. Moreover, when the decision was announced, Swanson already started clapping, which means that he believed his opponent had gotten the better of him in this close match-up.
Hakeem Dawodu apologizes to his fans after his loss at UFC Vegas 78
While a majority of people were of the opinion that Hakeem Dawodu got robbed of a victory against Cub Swanson, the fighter did not make any comments about the controversial decision. In a story uploaded by him on his Instagram handle, Dawodu apologized to his fans and did not make any excuses. This was his second consecutive loss in the UFC, as he also suffered a defeat against Julian Erosa at UFC 279.
The featherweight fighter was confident of a win against his 39-year-old opponent and did all that he could, but the decision was not what he hoped for.
Dawodu was looking good right from the start when he launched a knee without even touching gloves. He dominated the first round and hit Cub with several combinations. The momentum was carried into the second round too.
While many fans are not satisfied with this decision, what do you think about the fight? Let us know in the comments!