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Former UFC star Chael Sonnen has looked to defend Douglas Crosby after the MMA judge came under fire for some controversial scorecards earlier this month.
While December 9 and December 10 saw the UFC and Bellator stage events that both featured gold on the line and a host of intriguing names in action, the main story emerging from the weekend surrounded the ever-present judging debate.
Most prominent was the Saturday result that saw rising star Paddy Pimblett emerge victorious over Jared Gordon on the scorecards. And while all three judges scored the bout in favor of “The Baddy,” the exploits of one in particular the day before saw him receive the most scrutiny.
Prior to his 29-28 scorecard for the Liverpool native in Las Vegas, Crosby was in Connecticut for Bellator 289, where he received backlash for a 50-45 verdict in favor of Danny Sabatello, who challenged for Raufeon Stots’ interim bantamweight title in the division’s World Grand Prix semifinals.
While Crosby gave the challenger all five rounds, his two judging peers awarded Sabatello just two, scoring the bout 48-47 for Stots, who ultimately had his hand raised.
The longtime judge has been widely slammed ever since, with the individual scorecards and his ability to fly cross-country for events on back-to-back days causing outcry.
Sonnen, however, isn’t convinced the backlash is warranted.
Sonnen Provides Defense For Crosby Scorecard
During a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen gave his take on the controversy surrounding Crosby, whom the former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger hosted on a podcast back in 2015.
“The American Gangster” began by recalling how the fight between Stots and Sabatello played out, branding it a clash that was defined by two clear rounds for the challenger and three “extremely close” ones.
“That fight is a mess to try to break down. It really is very difficult,” Sonnen said. “You had three rounds that were extremely close, and you had two rounds that were not as extremely close, but those other two rounds are the ones that people aren’t arguing. They’re saying those should have gone to Sabatello.
“So, the two rounds that should have gone to Sabatello did with one judge, and the three rounds that were extremely close, where everybody’s going, ‘That’s a close round.’ … Alright, right decision comes in, at least in our opinions,” Sonnen added. “Stots won the fight? Well, yeah, Stots won the fight.”
Sonnen went on to defend Crosby’s controversial work, which MMADecisions.com noted as the first time in its history that a loser was awarded a 50-45 scorecard in their favor.
According to the former fighter-turned-analyst, judges often base their round scores on the overall fight scenario, meaning many will score frames four and five for a fighter who’d already lost the opening three.
With that, Sonnen praised Crosby for not “protecting” himself by scoring the penultimate and final rounds in favor of Stots and for instead judging the bout “straight.”
“You guys wanna know something, you’re not gonna like this… What you end up (having) is officials that operate outside the box of their authorities,” Sonnen stated. “In boxing, you can never win 12 rounds to zero, ever! … You don’t know the why. The why is once a match is decided, you start giving rounds to the other guy. It’s extremely common within judging.
“You have a five-round contest, a guy wins the first three rounds, the math is done, it’s over. Two rounds left, you just start giving rounds to the other guy. That way, you hedge your bet, that way you don’t have a 50-45,” Sonnen continued. “That judge (Crosby)… could have given Sabatello the fight three rounds to two… He could have done what every other judge does to protect themselves… He didn’t do it, he called it straight. Called it the way he saw it, straight, the whole way through.”
The 50-45 Sabatello scorecard in last night's Bellator main event was the very first 50-45 scorecard in favour of the loser ever recorded in our database. @ekc— MMADecisions.com (@MMADecisions) December 10, 2022
Sonnen also made note of a point that has consistently come up with regards to the controversy. Many quickly highlighted Crosby’s journey from the Mohegan Sun Arena to Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, suggesting that such a turnaround could hamper a judge’s ability to see fights clearly.
“The American Gangster” questioned if that complaint is warranted, insisting that most would be complemented for attempting to work extra hard.
“I have seen everybody default on this goddamn airplane. I just haven’t heard it before. ‘Jet lag, no night’s sleep,’ I don’t know!” Sonnen said. “Do you have to be in a bed to sleep? How much sleep does a guy have? What’s required? Why couldn’t he sleep on a flight? There’s all sorts of things that lead to speculation, but that appears to be one constant… Is that a reasonable complaint? A guy can’t work extra hard?”
Since Sonnen made these remarks, he provided Crosby with a platform to directly address the backlash that has followed his recent scorecards.
Crosby implied that there are other elements at play that have led to him being placed at the center of the maelstrom. He also stated that judging controversies such as these may be “unavoidable.”
What’s your take on Chael Sonnen’s defense of Doug Crosby’s controversial scorecard in favor of Danny Sabatello?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Former UFC star Chael Sonnen has looked to defend Douglas Crosby after the MMA judge came under fire for some controversial scorecards earlier this month.
While December 9 and December 10 saw the UFC and Bellator stage events that both featured gold on the line and a host of intriguing names in action, the main story emerging from the weekend surrounded the ever-present judging debate.
Most prominent was the Saturday result that saw rising star Paddy Pimblett emerge victorious over Jared Gordon on the scorecards. And while all three judges scored the bout in favor of “The Baddy,” the exploits of one in particular the day before saw him receive the most scrutiny.
Prior to his 29-28 scorecard for the Liverpool native in Las Vegas, Crosby was in Connecticut for Bellator 289, where he received backlash for a 50-45 verdict in favor of Danny Sabatello, who challenged for Raufeon Stots’ interim bantamweight title in the division’s World Grand Prix semifinals.
While Crosby gave the challenger all five rounds, his two judging peers awarded Sabatello just two, scoring the bout 48-47 for Stots, who ultimately had his hand raised.
The longtime judge has been widely slammed ever since, with the individual scorecards and his ability to fly cross-country for events on back-to-back days causing outcry.
Sonnen, however, isn’t convinced the backlash is warranted.
Sonnen Provides Defense For Crosby Scorecard
During a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen gave his take on the controversy surrounding Crosby, whom the former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger hosted on a podcast back in 2015.
“The American Gangster” began by recalling how the fight between Stots and Sabatello played out, branding it a clash that was defined by two clear rounds for the challenger and three “extremely close” ones.
“That fight is a mess to try to break down. It really is very difficult,” Sonnen said. “You had three rounds that were extremely close, and you had two rounds that were not as extremely close, but those other two rounds are the ones that people aren’t arguing. They’re saying those should have gone to Sabatello.
“So, the two rounds that should have gone to Sabatello did with one judge, and the three rounds that were extremely close, where everybody’s going, ‘That’s a close round.’ … Alright, right decision comes in, at least in our opinions,” Sonnen added. “Stots won the fight? Well, yeah, Stots won the fight.”
Sonnen went on to defend Crosby’s controversial work, which MMADecisions.com noted as the first time in its history that a loser was awarded a 50-45 scorecard in their favor.
According to the former fighter-turned-analyst, judges often base their round scores on the overall fight scenario, meaning many will score frames four and five for a fighter who’d already lost the opening three.
With that, Sonnen praised Crosby for not “protecting” himself by scoring the penultimate and final rounds in favor of Stots and for instead judging the bout “straight.”
“You guys wanna know something, you’re not gonna like this… What you end up (having) is officials that operate outside the box of their authorities,” Sonnen stated. “In boxing, you can never win 12 rounds to zero, ever! … You don’t know the why. The why is once a match is decided, you start giving rounds to the other guy. It’s extremely common within judging.
“You have a five-round contest, a guy wins the first three rounds, the math is done, it’s over. Two rounds left, you just start giving rounds to the other guy. That way, you hedge your bet, that way you don’t have a 50-45,” Sonnen continued. “That judge (Crosby)… could have given Sabatello the fight three rounds to two… He could have done what every other judge does to protect themselves… He didn’t do it, he called it straight. Called it the way he saw it, straight, the whole way through.”
The 50-45 Sabatello scorecard in last night's Bellator main event was the very first 50-45 scorecard in favour of the loser ever recorded in our database. @ekc
— MMADecisions.com (@MMADecisions) December 10, 2022[/quote]
Sonnen also made note of a point that has consistently come up with regards to the controversy. Many quickly highlighted Crosby’s journey from the Mohegan Sun Arena to Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, suggesting that such a turnaround could hamper a judge’s ability to see fights clearly.
“The American Gangster” questioned if that complaint is warranted, insisting that most would be complemented for attempting to work extra hard.
“I have seen everybody default on this goddamn airplane. I just haven’t heard it before. ‘Jet lag, no night’s sleep,’ I don’t know!” Sonnen said. “Do you have to be in a bed to sleep? How much sleep does a guy have? What’s required? Why couldn’t he sleep on a flight? There’s all sorts of things that lead to speculation, but that appears to be one constant… Is that a reasonable complaint? A guy can’t work extra hard?”
Since Sonnen made these remarks, he provided Crosby with a platform to directly address the backlash that has followed his recent scorecards.
Crosby implied that there are other elements at play that have led to him being placed at the center of the maelstrom. He also stated that judging controversies such as these may be “unavoidable.”
What’s your take on Chael Sonnen’s defense of Doug Crosby’s controversial scorecard in favor of Danny Sabatello?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
While December 9 and December 10 saw the UFC and Bellator stage events that both featured gold on the line and a host of intriguing names in action, the main story emerging from the weekend surrounded the ever-present judging debate.
Most prominent was the Saturday result that saw rising star Paddy Pimblett emerge victorious over Jared Gordon on the scorecards. And while all three judges scored the bout in favor of “The Baddy,” the exploits of one in particular the day before saw him receive the most scrutiny.
Prior to his 29-28 scorecard for the Liverpool native in Las Vegas, Crosby was in Connecticut for Bellator 289, where he received backlash for a 50-45 verdict in favor of Danny Sabatello, who challenged for Raufeon Stots’ interim bantamweight title in the division’s World Grand Prix semifinals.
While Crosby gave the challenger all five rounds, his two judging peers awarded Sabatello just two, scoring the bout 48-47 for Stots, who ultimately had his hand raised.
The longtime judge has been widely slammed ever since, with the individual scorecards and his ability to fly cross-country for events on back-to-back days causing outcry.
Sonnen, however, isn’t convinced the backlash is warranted.
Sonnen Provides Defense For Crosby Scorecard
During a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen gave his take on the controversy surrounding Crosby, whom the former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger hosted on a podcast back in 2015.
“The American Gangster” began by recalling how the fight between Stots and Sabatello played out, branding it a clash that was defined by two clear rounds for the challenger and three “extremely close” ones.
“That fight is a mess to try to break down. It really is very difficult,” Sonnen said. “You had three rounds that were extremely close, and you had two rounds that were not as extremely close, but those other two rounds are the ones that people aren’t arguing. They’re saying those should have gone to Sabatello.
“So, the two rounds that should have gone to Sabatello did with one judge, and the three rounds that were extremely close, where everybody’s going, ‘That’s a close round.’ … Alright, right decision comes in, at least in our opinions,” Sonnen added. “Stots won the fight? Well, yeah, Stots won the fight.”
Sonnen went on to defend Crosby’s controversial work, which MMADecisions.com noted as the first time in its history that a loser was awarded a 50-45 scorecard in their favor.
According to the former fighter-turned-analyst, judges often base their round scores on the overall fight scenario, meaning many will score frames four and five for a fighter who’d already lost the opening three.
With that, Sonnen praised Crosby for not “protecting” himself by scoring the penultimate and final rounds in favor of Stots and for instead judging the bout “straight.”
“You guys wanna know something, you’re not gonna like this… What you end up (having) is officials that operate outside the box of their authorities,” Sonnen stated. “In boxing, you can never win 12 rounds to zero, ever! … You don’t know the why. The why is once a match is decided, you start giving rounds to the other guy. It’s extremely common within judging.
“You have a five-round contest, a guy wins the first three rounds, the math is done, it’s over. Two rounds left, you just start giving rounds to the other guy. That way, you hedge your bet, that way you don’t have a 50-45,” Sonnen continued. “That judge (Crosby)… could have given Sabatello the fight three rounds to two… He could have done what every other judge does to protect themselves… He didn’t do it, he called it straight. Called it the way he saw it, straight, the whole way through.”
The 50-45 Sabatello scorecard in last night's Bellator main event was the very first 50-45 scorecard in favour of the loser ever recorded in our database. @ekc— MMADecisions.com (@MMADecisions) December 10, 2022
Sonnen also made note of a point that has consistently come up with regards to the controversy. Many quickly highlighted Crosby’s journey from the Mohegan Sun Arena to Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, suggesting that such a turnaround could hamper a judge’s ability to see fights clearly.
“The American Gangster” questioned if that complaint is warranted, insisting that most would be complemented for attempting to work extra hard.
“I have seen everybody default on this goddamn airplane. I just haven’t heard it before. ‘Jet lag, no night’s sleep,’ I don’t know!” Sonnen said. “Do you have to be in a bed to sleep? How much sleep does a guy have? What’s required? Why couldn’t he sleep on a flight? There’s all sorts of things that lead to speculation, but that appears to be one constant… Is that a reasonable complaint? A guy can’t work extra hard?”
Since Sonnen made these remarks, he provided Crosby with a platform to directly address the backlash that has followed his recent scorecards.
Crosby implied that there are other elements at play that have led to him being placed at the center of the maelstrom. He also stated that judging controversies such as these may be “unavoidable.”
What’s your take on Chael Sonnen’s defense of Doug Crosby’s controversial scorecard in favor of Danny Sabatello?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
While December 9 and December 10 saw the UFC and Bellator stage events that both featured gold on the line and a host of intriguing names in action, the main story emerging from the weekend surrounded the ever-present judging debate.
Most prominent was the Saturday result that saw rising star Paddy Pimblett emerge victorious over Jared Gordon on the scorecards. And while all three judges scored the bout in favor of “The Baddy,” the exploits of one in particular the day before saw him receive the most scrutiny.
Prior to his 29-28 scorecard for the Liverpool native in Las Vegas, Crosby was in Connecticut for Bellator 289, where he received backlash for a 50-45 verdict in favor of Danny Sabatello, who challenged for Raufeon Stots’ interim bantamweight title in the division’s World Grand Prix semifinals.
While Crosby gave the challenger all five rounds, his two judging peers awarded Sabatello just two, scoring the bout 48-47 for Stots, who ultimately had his hand raised.
The longtime judge has been widely slammed ever since, with the individual scorecards and his ability to fly cross-country for events on back-to-back days causing outcry.
Sonnen, however, isn’t convinced the backlash is warranted.
Sonnen Provides Defense For Crosby Scorecard
During a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen gave his take on the controversy surrounding Crosby, whom the former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger hosted on a podcast back in 2015.
“The American Gangster” began by recalling how the fight between Stots and Sabatello played out, branding it a clash that was defined by two clear rounds for the challenger and three “extremely close” ones.
“That fight is a mess to try to break down. It really is very difficult,” Sonnen said. “You had three rounds that were extremely close, and you had two rounds that were not as extremely close, but those other two rounds are the ones that people aren’t arguing. They’re saying those should have gone to Sabatello.
“So, the two rounds that should have gone to Sabatello did with one judge, and the three rounds that were extremely close, where everybody’s going, ‘That’s a close round.’ … Alright, right decision comes in, at least in our opinions,” Sonnen added. “Stots won the fight? Well, yeah, Stots won the fight.”
Sonnen went on to defend Crosby’s controversial work, which MMADecisions.com noted as the first time in its history that a loser was awarded a 50-45 scorecard in their favor.
According to the former fighter-turned-analyst, judges often base their round scores on the overall fight scenario, meaning many will score frames four and five for a fighter who’d already lost the opening three.
With that, Sonnen praised Crosby for not “protecting” himself by scoring the penultimate and final rounds in favor of Stots and for instead judging the bout “straight.”
“You guys wanna know something, you’re not gonna like this… What you end up (having) is officials that operate outside the box of their authorities,” Sonnen stated. “In boxing, you can never win 12 rounds to zero, ever! … You don’t know the why. The why is once a match is decided, you start giving rounds to the other guy. It’s extremely common within judging.
“You have a five-round contest, a guy wins the first three rounds, the math is done, it’s over. Two rounds left, you just start giving rounds to the other guy. That way, you hedge your bet, that way you don’t have a 50-45,” Sonnen continued. “That judge (Crosby)… could have given Sabatello the fight three rounds to two… He could have done what every other judge does to protect themselves… He didn’t do it, he called it straight. Called it the way he saw it, straight, the whole way through.”
The 50-45 Sabatello scorecard in last night's Bellator main event was the very first 50-45 scorecard in favour of the loser ever recorded in our database. @ekc
— MMADecisions.com (@MMADecisions) December 10, 2022[/quote]
Sonnen also made note of a point that has consistently come up with regards to the controversy. Many quickly highlighted Crosby’s journey from the Mohegan Sun Arena to Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, suggesting that such a turnaround could hamper a judge’s ability to see fights clearly.
“The American Gangster” questioned if that complaint is warranted, insisting that most would be complemented for attempting to work extra hard.
“I have seen everybody default on this goddamn airplane. I just haven’t heard it before. ‘Jet lag, no night’s sleep,’ I don’t know!” Sonnen said. “Do you have to be in a bed to sleep? How much sleep does a guy have? What’s required? Why couldn’t he sleep on a flight? There’s all sorts of things that lead to speculation, but that appears to be one constant… Is that a reasonable complaint? A guy can’t work extra hard?”
Since Sonnen made these remarks, he provided Crosby with a platform to directly address the backlash that has followed his recent scorecards.
Crosby implied that there are other elements at play that have led to him being placed at the center of the maelstrom. He also stated that judging controversies such as these may be “unavoidable.”
What’s your take on Chael Sonnen’s defense of Doug Crosby’s controversial scorecard in favor of Danny Sabatello?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
