UFC: Diego Sanchez Offers Ross Pearson A 5 Round Rematch

Oopjopj Hot off a controversial split decision at UFC Fight Night 42, Diego Sanchez has offered Ross Pearson a rematch. Saturday€™s 3-round lightweight bout between the two was yet another example of questionable judging in the MMA world. Calls for reform have gone unanswered for years in the MMA community; the sport uses the 10-point must system adopted from boxing, and far too often, judges selected by local athletic commissions struggle to apply the scoring system to MMA bouts, or worse, are not familiar enough with the sport to be MMA judges in the first place. Thus while Sanchez walked away with the win Saturday, most fans and media members saw the bout in favor of Ross "The Real Deal" Pearson €“ as did one judge, who scored it 30-27 for the Real Deal. A second judge scored the bout 29-28 Sanchez, and a third, straining all credibility, gave a 30-27 to Sanchez. The fact that one judge can award all three rounds to one fighter, and a second gives all three to the opposing fighter, tells you all your need to know about MMA judging: it stinks. While Sanchez has gone on record stating that he believes he won the fight, he has acknowledged the public outcry, and took to twitter to offer Pearson a rematch, suggesting they go five rounds instead of three (which would make the fight a headlining bout): @RossTheRealDeal if @ufc wants us to do it again I€™m down any time any place make it a 5 rounder. #Iwonthefight Pearson has yet to respond, and it€™s doubtful that the UFC would consider the offer, but stranger things have happened.
Contributor
Contributor

Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.