Robbery! MMA’s 10 Worst Judging Decisions

Never leave it in the hands of the judges, UFC President Dana White famously says to every fighter. In the wild sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) even a fight you thought was in the bag can go wayward without a finish.

And there’s no worse feeling (besides getting knocked out) than losing a fight you thought you had won. Even in bouts that have appeared to be dominated by one fighter, a controversial call has often arisen from the cageside judges who apparently saw the action unfold differently.

There have been some atrocious judging errors in the short history of mixed martial arts, and we broke down the top 10 biggest robberies in its history.

10. Robbie Lawler vs. Johny Hendricks II

This awaited match-up came as Hendricks’ first attempt to defend the coveted UFC welterweight title at UFC 181 in December 2014 after he hurt his elbow defeating Lawler in their epic first match-up at UFC 172 earlier that year.

After the narrow defeat, Lawler went on a tear by finishing Jake Ellenberger and topping Matt Brown by decision in a war to earn his rematch. The fight would turn out to be a close one, with Hendricks landing many strikes on the feet and securing several takedowns as well.

But ‘Ruthless’ had his fair share of moments during his inspiring late-career resurgence, starting out white-hot with a big knee and then unloading his now-famous flurry at the end of the fifth round that saw him stalk a battered Hendricks at the bell. It was ultimately close, but Hendricks’ clear wrestling advantage would have seemed to give him three rounds here.

The judges didn’t agree, with Lawler completing his goal of becoming UFC champion by split decision in a somewhat surprising call. ‘Ruthless’ would go on to defend the belt against Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit in two more vicious battles, proving he was one of the most brutal gladiators in UFC history, while Hendricks took a concerning slide down the ranks after losing this fight.

9. Michael Bisping vs. Matt Hamill

Back when current UFC middleweight champion Bisping was a light heavyweight, he was the recipient of an incredibly controversial decision win.

During his UFC 75 bout with “The Hammer,” Bisping was taken down throughout the first two rounds and was generally beaten from pillar to post.

However, with the fight taking place in Bisping’s native England, “The Count” was awarded the decision win, much to the chagrin of all who watched it. Bisping turned heel in the post-fight speech, mocking Hamill’s wrestling and overall relishing a victory he should not have earned.

A rematch was scheduled for UFC 78, but an injury to Hamill forced the fight off the card. Bisping would go on to move to middleweight where he is now the champion and set to face another wrestling-focused fighter in Georges St-Pierre at November’s UFC 217.

8. Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan

Leonard Garcia was never really in a boring fight, but he was the recipient of some serious judging errors.

Garcia’s striking style consisted of wild, looping punches that more often than not missed their mark. But his efforts were always exciting to see. Phan’s striking was far more flashy and varied, utilizing spinning kicks and body shots.

In their first match at the TUF 12 Finale back in 2010, it was clear Pham had beaten the more sloppy Garcia, but perhaps his whirlwind style swayed the judges. As was common in Garcia’s career, he was somehow awarded the decision victory.

UFC President Dana White arranged a rematch at UFC 136 shortly thereafter, which Phan won by unanimous decision.

7. Georges St-Pierre vs Johnny Hendricks

With GSP’s return only weeks away, it’s prudent to go back to his last fight before retiring back in 2013.

At the time, Hendricks was a 170-pound wrecking machine, notching several quick and brutal knockout victories en route to his shot at the champ. This, of course, was before “Bigg Rigg” hit the slump he’s currently in.

Hendricks took the fight right to GSP, battering the champion and leaving his face a swollen, bloody mess. For his part, the challenger appeared to have easily gotten the better of the champ, and a victory was all but certain for Hendricks.

The look on both St-Pierre and Hendricks’ faces once the decision was announced said it all. GSP looked relieved but surprised. Hendricks was devastated.

The longtime welterweight kingpin announced his intent to vacate the belt for a sort of temporary retirement following the questionable decision win over Hendricks at UFC 167.

Hendricks would go on to win the belt in GSP’s absence, eventually losing it to Robbie Lawler in yet another close fight.

6. Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping

Bisping may be the rightful middleweight champion, but his win over Anderson Silva, something the Brit often boasts about, is far from a concrete victory.

In fact, it seemed like Bisping was actually knocked out by a flying knee towards the end of the third round of the fight, only to be saved by the bell seconds later.

While he did recover with help from the time in between rounds, many fight fans feel as if Bisping was gifted that decision, which also happened to take place in his native England.

Whether or not his hometown presence played a part in him getting the decision victory remains to be seen; however, it was a robbery whatever way you cut it.

5. Lyoto Machida vs. Shogun Rua I

Remember “the Machida Era”? It wasn’t a long-lived dynasty, but for a time he was a riddle that could not be solved.

After embarrassing Rashad Evans and taking his belt with a career-altering knockout, fans expected another stellar performance from “The Dragon” against Shogun at UFC 104.

But Shogun came in with a perfect gameplan, using kicks to keep distance and fluster the champ for five rounds. Machida didn’t do much if at all, yet was awarded the decision win regardless.

Fans were outraged at the robbery and demanded a rematch, which was granted at UFC 113. Rua knocked out “The Dragon” in the first round, thus correcting the robbery from months before.

4. Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung I

By no real fault of his own, Leonard Garcia was on the beneficial end of some serious judging robberies.

His first bout with “The Korean Zombie” back at WEC 48 was a thrilling back and forth contest, but it was clear that Jung’s striking out-landed Garcia’s wild looping punches.

For whatever reason, the judges equated Garcia’s gutsy albeit sloppy efforts as superior to Jung’s output and awarded him the narrow split decision victory.

In a recurring trend on this list, Jung achieved redemption in their rematch, becoming the first UFC fighter to ever win by a twister submission.

3. Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz

This fight had all the makings of an epic war and a strikers’ delight. An interim welterweight belt was on the line, so naturally, the stakes were high at UFC 143.

That being the case, Condit fought extremely safe to ensure victory, to the point where he was doing more running than fighting. A frustrated Diaz chased him down, slapping and taunting Condit for all five rounds.

For whatever reason, the judges awarded Condit the victory, even though he was constantly on the back foot and running to reset.

Fans were furious and turned on “The Natural Born Killer,” who was usually a fan favorite.

2. Benson Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar II

Bendo and Edgar fought two close fights for the lightweight strap back in 2012.

While the first fight was close, fans remember the second fight as a robbery that kept Edgar from taking back his lightweight belt.

Edgar stifled Henderson’s wrestling and took the fight to the then-champ. Henderson didn’t do much of anything to really win the bout, yet was awarded the decision victory anyway.

When the decision (robbery) was announced, Edgar threw his hat off in disgust, and fight fans everywhere felt his pain.

Frankie Edgar won at UFC 150, regardless of what the records may say. Anyone who watched the fight will agree.

1. Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard II

Frankie Edgar is like an inverse Leonard Garcia. Unlike Garcia, who wins decisions he clearly lost, Edgar has been screwed over by judges more so than any other fighter.

In his second bout with Maynard at UFC 125, Edgar overcame a harrowing first round where he was nearly knocked out to dominate the last four rounds. He showed heart and guts and realistically won four rounds to one.

And yet the bout was declared a draw. Even if the first round was scored a 10-8, the four other rounds he won was enough to win the fight. But not according to the judges.

Edgar made sure to keep the judges out of it at their trilogy fight at UFC 136, when he knocked out Maynard in the fourth round to retain his lightweight belt.

Justice was served.