The recent UFC championship match between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko was on the mind of Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Jeff Mullen Wednesday. Mullen called into question the decision to score the fifth round 10-8 in favor of Grasso, leading to a draw and her retaining the UFC women’s featherweight title.
UFC Title Fight Decision Called Out By NSAC Executive Director
Jeff Mullen, Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director, did not agree with the decision to ultimately reward Alexa Grasso a draw in her UFC women’s featherweight title defense vs. Valentina Shevchenko.
The two battled in the main event of Noches UFC this past weekend live on ESPN+ from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Thanks to a 10-8 scorecard from one judge, Grasso left with the belt still around her waist.
That judge, Mike Bell, was called out by Mullen during a call.
The other two judges scoring the fight ruled in favor of Grasso in the fifth, 10-9. Had Bell done the same, Shevchenko would have taken two of the three overall scorecards and reclaimed the belt she lost to Grasso earlier this year.
“Mike is one of the very best judges in the world,” Mullen said (thanks to ESPN for the quotes). “He’s just as good a judge as he was. I don’t agree with his score on this round.”
Grasso made a late charge in the fifth, but Mullen said “If somebody is well ahead, it would take an incredible amount of damage to swing it back to a 10-8.”
“We have to get on the same page,” he said. “We have to understand why it’s the way it is. You guys are the best in the world. So, if we keep working at this and keep trying, we’re gonna get there.”
Shevchenko, who suffered an injury during the bout, is likely to receive a rematch, UFC president Dana White has said.
“When I found out that one of the judges scored 10-8, I’m like, ‘This guy should be (expletive) investigated for this,” White said after his Contender Series. “This is the craziest shit I’ve ever seen in my life.”
