The flyweight matchup between Maycee Barber and Andrea Lee in UFC San Antonio left a bad taste in the mouth of MMA fans due to questionable judging by referee Dan Miragliotta. Barber won through a split decision, but Miragliotta’s scorecard of 30-27 in favor of Barber immediately garnered criticism from fans and other UFC stars.
Maycee Barber and Andrea Lee had a close contest, with both giving their best in the octagon. The bout was scored 29-28 in favor of Lee by one judge and 29-28 in favor of Barber by the other. However, the scoring by Miragliotta left many scratching their heads.
Dan Miragliotta’s decision in the Njokuani/Duraev bout on the same card was his first completed scorecard in a UFC event since the Bas Rutten vs Kevin Randleman title event in 1999.
Miragliotta is a household name thanks to the fact he often refrees UFC events. Miragliotta’s judging criteria is also very uneven.
Interesting that Dan Miragliotta put in 2 scorecards tonight that essentially conflict in judging criteria prioritized.
He scored for Duraev, apparently opting for control time over damage.
He scored for Barber, apparently opting for the opposite.
Actual MMA judging criteria looks like this:
Former UFC featherweight Jeremy Stephens took to Twitter to express his disappointment with the judging, stating that Lee was robbed and calling for the removal of judges who are ruining the sport.
Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling also weighed in, expressing his displeasure with the scoring.
MMA fans also took to social media to vent their frustration, with some calling for Miragliotta’s removal as a judge. Many felt that his scorecard of 30-27 for Barber was sketchy and that he should stick to refereeing instead.
The controversial decision has once again highlighted the need for better judging in MMA. While the split decision was a close call, many felt that Lee deserved the win, and that the judges should have been more consistent in their scoring.