Add Ilir Latifi to the list of fighters that think they were wronged by the judges in Houston.
Latifi (14-8 MMA, 7-6 UFC) opened up the main card of this past weekend’s UFC 247 in Texas, when he took on Houston’s own Derrick Lewis (23-7 MMA, 14-5 UFC) in his heavyweight debut.
After a slow start, struggling to get in range, Latifi would eventually get the fight to the mat in Round 2 and get significant ground control. He was able to land another takedown in Round 3, but in the last minute or so of the fight, Lewis managed to make his way back up, throwing a flurry on the feet in a late surge.
That seemed to be enough for Lewis, earning him the third round on all three judges’ scorecards. The trio of cageside officials all had the same tally for the fight, as well, 29-28 for Lewis, with Rounds 1 and 3 going to “The Black Beast.”
But a disappointed Latifi thinks he was robbed and that Houston resident Lewis was given the hometown decision. Latifi delivered a statement via his Instagram, urging the UFC to invest in better judging.
First of all I want to thank my family, friends, team and all the people that supported me, thank you!
When I decided to take this challenge and fight Derrick in his hometown, people thought I was crazy.
Saturday night walking in to the arena to fight Derrick Lewis, Houstons home pride, I knew this battle wasn’t going to be easy.
The crowd was there for him and even the judges…
I think I won that fight and many of the fans and viewers did too, but it is what it is… As fighters, we sacrifice and risk a lot for this sport and it’s very sad to see how they can play around with peoples work and dedication.
Hopefully in the future we will see judges and scoring system that’s made for MMA by people of real experience of the sport like fighters and trainers that have better understanding of the sport and can make better judgments.
The loss comes as a big blow for Latifi, who was looking for new life at heavyweight, but has now lost his last three in a row.
